September is here, and with it, investors’ concerns about whether the Federal Reserve has been slow to react to shifting economic conditions. The stock market stumbled this week, adding to a sense of uncertainty as the Fed prepares for its long-anticipated interest rate cut. But has the central bank...
When Missiles Shake Markets This week, investors woke not to coffee and spreadsheets, but to a flurry of missiles and market meltdowns. The sudden launch of Israel's Operation Rising Lion, a targeted assault on Iran's nuclear ambitions, didn’t just rattle the region. It jolted global markets into a new paradigm...
When Growth Slows and Prices Climb: The Markets’ Least Favorite Combo Markets typically don’t flinch easily—but when Goldman Sachs begins whispering "stagflation" and adjusting S&P 500 forecasts, investors take notice. As Q1 comes to a close, the S&P 500 is facing its worst quarter since mid-2022, and the outlook has become...
Understanding the risk premium after the Maduro capture. If you had "US Government runs Venezuela" on your 2026 bingo card, please collect your prize at the front desk. Sunday nights are usually reserved for the "Sunday Scaries", dreading the morning alarm, not watching geopolitical history unfold live on television. But...
The Pulse of Caution The general feeling in the markets has certainly shifted. The broad optimism that defined the rally since April seems to be evaporating, replaced by a more hesitant and selective investor stance. That "buy everything" attitude is now facing significant headwinds, and last week's sharp downturn in...
As we dive into this week’s edition of The Market Pulse, the focus is squarely on the shifting dynamics of the market in response to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's recent Jackson Hole speech. After two years of anticipation, Powell signaled a potential pivot towards rate cuts—a move that...
The Magnificent Seven: Heroes or Market Villains? Wall Street is back in record territory, thanks mainly to a handful of tech giants affectionately dubbed the "Magnificent Seven." Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, and company have added an eye-popping $4.7 trillion in market capitalization since early April. While it's tempting to celebrate, investors...
Real estate thought it was going to breeze through the pandemic while it watched travel, retail and service industries plunge into COVID uncertainty, and while the industry isn’t crumbling, a visible slowdown will have to prompt change. The Spring 2020 real estate shopping season was pretty much a wash. Newly...
In a surprise move that shocked global markets, Chile, which has about 40% of the world’s known lithium reserves, announced it was proposing a plan to nationaliize production of the rare earth metal - a key component in EV battery production. Almost immediately, lithium mining stocks nose-dived. Albemarle Corp (ABM)...
Welcome to this week’s edition of The Market Pulse! Just as we thought the economy might achieve the elusive “soft landing,” inflation is back in the spotlight, threatening to derail the rally. With Middle East tensions, port strikes, and rising energy costs, Thursday’s consumer-price-index (CPI) report could be the...