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Meme Stocks On Fire: Another Sign Of Animal Spirits
Meme stocks are highly speculative stocks, heavily traded by retail traders, and characterized at times by rapid price surges and equally sharp declines. The extreme volatility is often the result of social media platforms such as Reddit’s WallStreetBets pushing these stocks. Among the most noteworthy meme stocks of the last few years have been GameStop […]
Sep 24, 2025
Equity Fund Outflows Soar: Blip or Warning?
Our friend Jim Colquitt, in his Weekly Chart Review, brought to our attention a large and irregular outflow from equity funds last week. He cites a Reuters article stating that investors withdrew $43 billion from US equity funds last week. That was the largest outflow since December 2024. The graph below shows that equity fund […]
Sep 23, 2025
Size Matters: Can The Largest Stocks Continue To Lead?
Does size matter? Since the Pandemic, and judged by the recent performance of the Magnificent Seven and mega-cap indexes, many investors would say it matters, likely claiming that the greater the size, the better the returns. Those with data going back decades, rather than years, would also agree that size matters. However, their conclusion would […]
Sep 22, 2025
Market Mechanics Override Weakening Economic Data
Since the middle of July, UST 10-year yields have fallen from 4.50% to 4.00%. While the yield decline has been profitable for bondholders, it has also aided many other investors. Such a finding may seem counterintuitive, considering that lower yields are the result of a significant weakening in the labor market and a range of […]
Sep 19, 2025
The Fed Cuts Rates: What Comes Next?
Not surprisingly, the Fed cut rates by 25 basis points at yesterday’s meeting. With the cut, the Fed Funds rate sits at 4.00-4.25%. While the market was nearly certain of a 25bps cut, it is less clear about what the road ahead holds for Fed policy. To help us start thinking about how policy may […]
Sep 18, 2025
Semiannual Reporting Requirements Are Overhyped
President Trump is pushing to reduce the SEC’s financial reporting requirements from quarterly to semiannual reporting. He’s framing the idea in a positive light: it would allow managers to focus on the business, lower compliance costs, and fight “short-termism” in markets. In reality, it would weaken one of the hallmarks of U.S. capital markets: timely […]
Sep 17, 2025
Trump’s BLS Reform Faces Steep Obstacles
The White House has turned its attention to the Bureau of Labor Statistics after a series of steep payroll revisions rattled confidence in the government’s jobs data. President Trump fired the agency’s commissioner last month and has nominated a longtime critic to take her place, pledging reforms to improve accuracy. But the problems run deeper […]
Sep 16, 2025
Overnight Funding Costs Signal Liquidity Strain
After years of abundant liquidity, U.S. overnight funding markets are beginning to show signs of strain. Interest rates on overnight repo agreements have climbed steadily this month as the Treasury rebuilds its cash balance and the Fed continues quantitative tightening. Usage of the Fed’s overnight reverse repo (RRP) facility, a key gauge of excess liquidity, […]
Sep 15, 2025
Oilfield Servicers Find New Hope in AI Power Demand
Oilfield service companies are fighting an uphill battle after years of weak demand from traditional energy producers. A relentless multi-year decline in U.S. rig counts has resulted in beaten-down oilfield service companies turning to an unlikely new customer base: technology firms racing to power AI data centers. According to the WSJ, companies such as Solaris […]
Sep 12, 2025
Oracle Puts the AI Infrastructure Trade Back in Action
The AI infrastructure trade stagnated through August, with enthusiasm fading even after NVDA beat earnings and raised guidance. Investors shifted their focus to weakening economic data and looming Fed rate cuts, fueling the narrative that the AI boom had run its course. That changed yesterday, when Oracle reignited the trade with a blockbuster earnings call. […]
Sep 11, 2025
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