Richard Rosso opines on Houston driver, CrowdStrike IT fail, and why he's changed his tune in thinking now might be a good time for the Fed to slip in a rate cut. Does the Fed have performance anxiety? Take care in benchmarking risk; market pullbacks are like a "Thanksgiving Oven," keeping things warm to use later. Study shows Gen-X'ers more likely…

Hey, kids--what day is it? Lance reorients himself and shares foreigners' perspectives of the U.S. Advice: Avoid the negativity and don't feed the fear. Looking at astronomical rotation from Large- to Small-cap stocks over the past five days: Russell 2000 is elevated by 4.4 standard deviations from its moving average. Markets needed a healthy rotat…

ay-3 of the RNC convention: Markets are already beginning to shift in anticipation of a presumed presidency and policies, with an eye on taxation and monetary policy. Donald Trump has said he will allow Jerome Powell to finish his term as Fed Chair, with Jamnie Dimon as Treasury Secretary. Meanwhile, we're watching major moves in the Russell 2000 w…

Lance Roberts begins with an earnings and economic reports preview; there is now a 90% chance of the Fed cutting rates sooner than later, and odds-makers now expecte three rate cuts. Small- and Mid-cap stocks are now three standard deviations above their averages; might be time to take profits. Lance explains the correlation between Fed funds rate …

That was the week that was: Hurricane Beryl, celebrity deaths, Trump assassination attempt, & Lance's Vacation. PPI show inflation trending downward, setting up for a Fed rate cut: July or September? Investor sentiment remains positive as markets continue to grind higher; investor eschew put-options, which are very cheap now...just like this time, …

The saga of the Roberts' Rental house concludes, at the cost of a coffee maker and other electrical appliances. How much will it cost to feed your hoard on July 4th? Market Commentary: light volume expected for the remainder of the holiday-shortened week. Adam Taggart, Jon Huntsman analysis: Symptoms vs reality. The importance of doing your own due…

Lance previews Q2 GDP estimates: The lag effect is showing up in GDP Estimate revisions, as the economy slows. The difference betweeen Inflation vs Deflation: The rate of change is slowing, but prices are remaining high. Commentary on interest rate behavior at end of Quarter; quarter-end rebalancing and dividend payments. The next chapter in the sa…

Why are Markets and the real economy mal-aligned? A tale of two parties in how Americans are faring financially. Re-thinking frivolous spending: How we blew through our savings. If you're in the market, you're loving it: 31-days of all-time highs (so far) in 2024. Rich and Matt discuss decision-making when approaching retirement: The myths about ta…

The Supreme Court strikes down the Chevron Deference that allowed government agencies to dictate policy, bypassing Congress. This may be the biggest decision since their relegation of abortion policy back to the states in striking down Roe v Wade. Meanwhile, markets end the 2nd quarter somewhat sloppily, but still positive for the year, possibly po…

Wrapping up the month of June, and the start of a new Quarter in July: Expect market volatility. Micron's miss will weigh on tech sector. Analysts' estimates have dropped by $5/share for Q3, lowering the bar in anticipation of next reporting season. Final Q1 GDP revision due today. Moving closer to July Fed meeting and possible rate cuts? Jobless c…

Pre-debate, Consumer Confidence, and a rally for Nvidia: earnings preview & market commentary: How long can markets remain over-bought? Investors' common mistakes: Acting too soon, and over-reacting. Markets can remain over-bought for a long time; a function of market momentum. Consumer confidence has been trending lower; the dichotomy of consumer …

Fed speakers are out this week, talking the same game. Lance examines corellation between the Chicago Fed National Activity Index and economic growth, and what posts to X (formerly known as Twitter) are to be called. Who does the Fed depend upon for data? There are many divergences in the data; Nvidia's bad day(s): Stock split and 13% drop is a cor…

Market volatility closed out last week, as investors prepare to wrap June and Q2 business. Triple-witching Friday added to the excitement, and markets remain extremely over bought. The Conference Board's Leading Indicator Index has been negatice for 27-mos in a row; always a precessor of Recession. Lance discusses investors' two common mistakes whe…

Markets are performing the job of the Fed; is the economy stronger? Rich & Jon look at the "Olive Garden economic indicator: Who's dining out, and who is staying in? How to unravel high restaurant prices 9and everything else, too!) Baby Boomers are still spending. Candid Coffee preview (egistration link below); Investor complacency is troubling. Th…

Will markets exhibit the typical summer weakness? Prepping for the election outcomes; correction coming now and later. Preview of housing numbers and initial jobless claims; market breadth is on the decline. The increasing gap between the S&P 500 and equal-weighted indexes. Lance discusses the relative strength of the Dollar vs other currencies. Pe…

Wall Street is closed today in observance of Juneteenth; we predict markets will be flat today. Retail Sales disappoint. Our analysis: Economy is slowing. Nvidia is now The Biggest Company; iShares rebalancing at the end of the month. Apple will swap places w Nvidia in index. Remember, Wall St.'s job is to sell you stocks, not to provide accurate i…

Markets are trading in a holiday-shortened week, thanks to the Juneteenth Holiday Wednesday. 50% of companies are now in stock buy back blackout period. Retail Sales report preview; a function of Consumer sentiment. Five Fed speakers out and about today; markets started weakly, then rallied 1%. Volume and breadth are weakening; markets are very ove…

Will "Sell in May & Go Away" repeat this summer? Will Wall Street 'de-risk" ahead of presidential election? Economic data continues to weaken and consumer sentiment takes a sharp drop; is this a trend-change? Markets return to over bought conditions; such extreme deviations from 20- and 50-DMA cannot last for long. Breadth is very narrow; market dr…

Parsing the economic data; Bonds vs ETF's; how bond pries and interest rates move; couting on the income. Danny & Jonathan address YouTube chatroom questions on Bond Yields and Buy/Sell dynamics; Dialing for Petro Dollars: A discussion of the US Dollar's strength, and whether it will still be the world's reserve currency in the future. Four good re…

June is half-over, and the stock buy back blackout begins today, removing that source of activity from the market. Economic data points continue to weaken, but Fed Chairman Jerome Powell wants to see "more good data." There is an alternative universe of debt; the Fed wants weaker economy so they can lower rates. The S&P 500 sets another new, all-ti…

It's Fed Day and Inflation Day: The FOMC meeting commences, and inflation in May cooled a bit. What will the Fed's Dot Plot show? Rate cut expectations are down to just two for this year, and likely not occuring until after the election. How will the Fed loosen QT? Markets set another all time high, marginally. The rally-restest-rally pattern conti…

Markets are essentially in stasis until after tomorrow's conclusion of the FOMC meeting. Market enthusiasm is similar to that seen in 2000, but there are a few differences this time around. Will Apple AI tailor a better product for users; can AI actually deliver? Crude Oil in a MACD buy signal from very low levels: Time to buy? How Generation-Z is …

Employment Report Headlines are stronger than the underlying data shows; economic activity is slowing, but markets remain upbeat. Markets have been quiet; complacency can lead to unexpected things. Markets tested 20-DMA and rallied; will re-test that level today...again. FOMC Meeting this week + CPI Inflation data could trigger a change: Markets' p…

The D stands for Donuts: It's International Donut Day; Buc-Cee's Donuts & Jerky; Can a Texas Stock Exchange survive? JR weighs in. NYC's economic suicide; the Roaring Kitty live-stream; Candid Coffee returns (6/29); AI stocks & narrative economics: Will AI not be the savior we'd hoped? How to maximize your severance package; when a layoff is a bles…

D-Day commemorations top the day; ISM report shows a big jump, but input prices and employment weakened. The data does not (yet) support thesis for Recession. Nvidia topped $3-Trillion in market capitalization, surpassing Apple for #2 slot in the S&P. Nvidia is now 3x over its 50-DAM. The coming power grid expansion will offer investing opportuniti…

More weak economic data from the Atlanta Fed; semiconductors are outperforming software stocks, 3:1; look for consolidation in that sector. Domestic stocks are outperforming all other markets. A fairly big correction in Oil Prices over the past few days is now setting up an opportunity for investors to take profits and rebalance energy portfolios, …

Launching June market trading and looking ahead; the continuing saga of E*Trade and Roaring Kitty, GameStop. Economic data continues to weaken; expectations for Fed rate cuts this year are now back up to two. Markets' morning selloff, afternoon rally back into the green pattern continues, thanks to EOD institutional buying; all activity against the…

Markets start the month with support sustained at the 20-DMA, although consumer spending is weakening, with retrenchment in Restaurants. Inventories are high while spending is slackening. The cure for inflation is high prices. Markets break thru 20-DMA on Friday, but rally before the close. Sell signal is restricting upside. The market momentum cha…

With weaker economic data trickling in, are Fed rate cuts coming sooner than later? What's the deal with 401k's? The best way to take money out of a 401k; executing an "in-service rollover;" tax implications and fund seasoning details you need to know; remember fees and expense ratios. What about Roth's: pre-tax funds & retirement; making too much …

Houston is finally #1 in something: Home Foreclosures; Q1 economic data suggests conflict with narrative the economy is doing fine vs anecdotal evidence. The Fed's Beige Book summary shows not as much concern for inflation as for weakening consumer demand. Weaker stock pricing is also emerging; Can markets hold the 20-DMA? Risk assets are momentum-…

It's all about the Fed, never mind the fundamentals. markets have gone essentially nowhere, driven almost entirely by Nvidia. Markets are close to a short-term sell signal. It's time to rebalance portfolios. Corporate Greed does not cause inflation: The simple truth. 401k rollowver problems; why few receiving required 402(f) notifications; the tax …

Markets falter; Nvidia and Cracker Barrel keeping up with the times; the Fed's impact on Markets: Could rates actually go back up? How spending habits are shifting; the need for a Sell Discipline when bad news is good news. Caution against investing emotionally because of politics. What happens when you're the executor: Business decisions vs family…

Markets sold off on release of the latest FOMC Meeting minutes, which are a sanitized, finely-crafted version of what went on behind closed doors. The hawkishness seems to be continuing; Deflation seems to be a bigger risk to the economy than inflation. There's too little demand, resulting in price cuts to move inventory. Insight on why we reduced …

All eyes are on NVDIA's quarterly report: Why did we trim our position? How might this company disappoint investors? It's all about the guidance. FOMC Meeting Minutes also could trigger markets, based on what they reveal about the Fed's interest rate intentions. Markets are at all-time highs, trading in a tighter range. Markets have gone 315-days w…

During ripping bull markets, investors often start benchmarking, comparing their portfolio’s performance against a major index; most often, the S&P 500 index. While that activity is heavily encouraged by Wall Street and the media, funded by Wall Street, is benchmarking the right for you? Why does Wall Street want you to compare your performance to …

NVDIA & Fed speakers are in the spotlight this week; stock buyback are running higher than normal. The risk of recession; when will the Fed cut rates? Durable Goods are in deflation; Services are seeing higher inflation, tied to discretionary spending. Markets finish previous week at all time highs; when will they pull back? Wathcing for a bullish …

Houston hit with tornadic storms; everything is going up: Stocks, Bonds, Gold...The Crypto Proposition: Brokers are like lemmings. Every investment is a story: Tech & Cryptocurrency; wrapping rules around your portfolios. The danger of over-confidence. Investing perspective is important. Avoid investing based on politics; the psychology of investin…

Markets hit all-time highs with softer CPI: The biggest contributor was decline in Homeowners' Equivalent Rent. Markets are now anticipating two rate cuts this year. Consumers are showing signs of weakening; hardest hit are Gen-Z & Millennials. Stocks & Bonds rally on weaker CPI; markets are extremely over bought. Look for a re-test of the 50-DMA w…

Roaring Kitty is back with resurgence of GameStop stock; the insanity returns. Jerome Powell already knows the CPI numbers for tomorrow: What are markets expecting vs what he will say? Citi Surprise Index showing more signs of economic weakness; evidence the consumer is slowing down. Markets flopped around Monday but earned another green candle. We…

Markets' bullish trend continues; no reason to be sitting in cash now. Economic data is proving to be a mixed bag. Consumers' creativity for accessing funds they shouldn't be touching for continued spending. Markets are back to overbought; wait for a pullback to add exposure. What's moving markets: The Fed or AI? When the Fed supplies liquidity, fu…

Earnings preview & economic reports: The wisdom of writing a market journal. Will markets produce an 8th day of gains? Current trading strategioes; the animal spirits are shifting. Soupy Sales' 'Send a Dollar;' CEO Neutrality, getting back to the basics of business. Will Social Security last past 2035? There are some surprising, positive notes in t…

Is the pig really out of the python? (Excess savings are gone.) Who is still spending, and how? Government spending and consumer credit card usage; buy-now, pay-later (BNPL) plans being used to buy groceries and make ends meet. There are no stats to determine credit risk presented by BNPL companies. Markets sell-off, rally, and end at break-even. T…

The Citi Surprise Index: When economists are disappointed in estimated numbers; that index is now at a low ebb. An uneventful earnings season is wrapping up with fair results; the only companies seeing margins grow are large caps. Markets eke out gains for 4th straight day; the benefits of a market pullback; CTA's have money to spend, plus resumpti…

Economists' 'rush-to-judgement' vs the lag effect catching up w economic data. Consumer spending and loan demand are waning as excesses in money supply are normalizing. The data re beginning to refute the "no recession" theme. Market correction is now over, bullish trend to resume. The challenge of NOT expecting recession; what the data is starting…

There are three possible paths for markets, moving forward. Markets are at a critical juncture at the 50-DMA; earnings "beat-rate" has been low, and earnings misses have been severely punished. Looking at the Fed's liquidity strategies; the markets' possible direction from this point. In dealing with inflation, which data measurement matters? Him's…

Apple's results + the Biggest Buyback Ever: Are iPhones becoming a high-tech toaster? Labor/Jobs Report preview; what the Fed may do. It is surprising the market is now down more than 5%. This has been a government-driven economy. Janet Yellen is a Marxist. Who will win the tax cut battle? We'll all lose. It's apsneding problem, not a revenue probl…

Market volatility returns amid earnings season, with McDonald's, KFC, and Starbuck's reporting weak earnings, suggesting tru impact of inflation on consumers, wjho are becoming more price-conscious. Markets perform a pump & dump on Wedesnday, with stock retesting the 20-DMA...and failing. Pelaton earnings disappoint; the Fed holds rates steady; eve…

Fed Day brings dovish expectations; so far, so good in current earnings season. Economic data is all over the board; Europe emerges from Recession. Taxes to increase; tax flight is inevitable. Market correction continues; can it hold support at 100-DMA? A 10% correction would be normal. Earnings recap (so far) Amazon, CVS/Healthcare: Baby Boomers' …

Fed Meeting preview; earnings season contiunes, buybacks about to resume. What's up the the Yen? Corporations are the net buyers of stocks; the correction is done: There's lots of underlying support for markets; after two good market days, closing above 20-DMA, moving to re-test 50-DMA, but likely to fail, dependent upon Fed comments. Lance & Jonat…

Market performance in election years is marked by investor anxiety over the outcome, and the potential for outlying risk. The FOMC Meeting this week: will the Fed halt plans for cuts, and possibily even hike rates? Expectations for strong employment numbers. Markets rally on PCE report, beginning to build a new, bullish trend. This will be a busy e…