U.S. equities were mixed last week, with the S&P 500 slightly higher (+0.3%) though NASDAQ posted its second straight week up at least 2.5%, largely driven by AI optimism. Analysts have continued to warn of narrow breadth. Best sectors were technology (+5.1%) and communication services (+1.2%); worst sectors were consumer staples (-3.2%) and materials (-3.1%). The chart below shows just how narrow the market performance has been this year. Notice the sectors that performed the worst last ye… View More
Stocks were higher last week (S&P 500 +1.6%), lead once again by the tech-heavy NASDAQ (+3.0%). YTD NASDAQ is +20.9%, S&P 500 +9.7% and DJIA +0.8%. The S&P 500 broke above 4200 for the first time since last August. The news backdrop featured seemingly positive progress on the debt ceiling negotiations. Best sectors were technology (+4.2%) and communication services (+3.1%); worst sectors were utilities (-4.4%) and real estate (-2.4%). While we are reasonably certain that inflation h… View More
What follows are some simple answers to the questions Strategas research is receiving most frequently from their clients these days. We are happy to hop on a call to discuss them in greater detail should you have further questions about our answers. What would make you change your mind? There are two major themes underlying our bearishness on both the economy and the markets: 1) the bill is finally coming due for more than 12 years of financial repression and fiscal profligacy; and 2) g… View More
Yes, we have banking problems. No, this is not 2008. It’s much more like the 1970s Savings & Loan problems. In other words, we do not have credit problems today, we have duration (asset-liability) problems. These are exacerbated by the fact that Quantitative Easing inflated total deposits in the banking system. In the 1970s, the Federal Reserve held interest rates too low for too long. From 1974 through 1978, the federal funds rate was below inflation most of the time, and the “real” … View More
I came across an interesting article that discusses the disjointed market we have seen thus far in 2023. We believe fundamentals will drive this market as we progress through the year and believe our portfolios are positioned to reduce volatility as we proceed forward. We are overweight good high dividend paying value stocks at this time which are trading at a discount to the overall market. Mysterious Ways: Growth vs. Value Debate by Liz Ann Sonders, Kevin Gordon of Charles Schwab, 5/3/23… View More