There are many media-driven narratives about the impact of tariffs on the economy and the markets. Most of them are incredibly bearish, predicting the absolute worst possible outcomes. For fun, I asked ChatGPT what the expected impact of Trump’s tariffs will likely be. Here is the answer: “One of the immediate consequences of increased tariffs […]
I could not produce our weekly Bull Bear Report this past weekend as I presented at Michael Campbell’s Moneytalks Conference in Vancouver. However, I wanted to use today’s technical update to review some of the statistical analysis we produce each week in that commentary. Such is mainly the case given last Monday’s “tariff” shock and […]
The Federal Reserve’s record of forecasting has frequently led it to respond too late to changes in economic and financial conditions. In the most recent FOMC meeting, the Federal Reserve changed its statement to support a pause in the current interest rate-cutting cycle. As noted by Forbes: “The policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee agreed unanimously […]
Over the weekend, President Trump announced tariffs of 25% on both Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% tariff on China. Such was not unexpected, as contained in the Trump tariff Executive Order {SEE HERE}. Specifically, that order stated: “[Sec 2, SubSection (h)]: Sec. 2. (a) All articles that are products of Canada as defined […]
On Monday, markets were rocked by news that a Chinese Artificial Intelligence model, DeepSeek, performed better than expected at a lower development cost. As we noted in our Daily Market Commentary yesterday: “The 3% panic sell-off on the Tech-heavy Nasdaq-100 futures is focused on the view that China’s DeepSeek AI model rollouts show AI products […]
In a recent post, I discussed Wall Street’s return estimates for 2025 for the S&P 500 index. To wit: “We have some early indications of Wall Street targets for the S&P 500 index, and, as is always the case, they are optimistic for the coming year. The median estimate is for the market to rise […]
In last week’s discussion with Thoughtful Money, I noted that we are becoming more “tactically bearish” as we progress into 2025. While we have remained primarily bullish in equity positioning over the last two years, several risks are now worth considering. However, it is critical to note that being “tactically bearish” does NOT mean we […]
I publish an updated version of my New Year “investor” resolutions yearly. The purpose of the process is to take an annual inventory of what I did and did not do over the last year to improve my portfolio management practices. As with all resolutions made at the beginning of a new year, it is not uncommon […]
“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which ran its series finale last year, starred Larry David as an over-the-top version of himself in a comedy series that showed how seemingly trivial details of day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events. The show never failed to deliver a laugh but also reminded me that unexpected events can […]