COMMENTARY: The S&P 500 finished the week essentially unchanged, returning -0.08% for the five trading days ended September 18. Markets were volatile as investors absorbed the Federal Reserve’s first rate increase since 2023. The Fed raised its target rate by 25 basis points to 3.75%–4.00%, citing still-elevated inflation, while signaling that additional tightening could be […]
Weekly Performance Summary: September 18th, 2026 Read More »
Value remains firmly ahead in 2026, but the Fed’s new tightening cycle is flattening the Treasury curve. Growth could recover if policy credibility caps long-term yields while AI earnings remain strong; persistent inflation and higher long yields would reinforce Value leadership.
Factor Friday: Value Still Leads, but a Flatter Curve Gives Growth a Path Back Read More »
The Fed has restarted tightening, but investors are not rotating mechanically from Growth into Value. Technology and semiconductors held up while banks, Energy, housing and REITs weakened, signaling a new preference for self-funded earnings growth over businesses dependent on cheap capital.
Thematic Thursday: The Fed Hiked, but Growth Won the First Round Read More »
Developed markets are regaining the international equity advantage as EM’s valuation discount disappears. Germany and Canada offer increasingly visible industrial and resource catalysts, while China remains a contrarian recovery trade and South Korea offers powerful AI earnings growth with substantially higher volatility.
Inflation still argues for Energy and Financials exposure, but hawkish Fed policy can quickly redirect markets toward recession risk. We favor maintaining near-term hedges while preparing to rotate into oversold sectors as yields, credit and relative strength confirm the turn.
COMMENTARY: The S&P 500 declined 0.80% for the week, snapping a four-week winning streak. Markets were pressured early in the week by a sharp rise in oil prices, escalating tensions in the Middle East, and higher Treasury yields. August CPI rose 0.4% month over month and 3.4% year over year, while core CPI increased 0.3%,
Weekly Performance Summary: September 11th, 2026 Read More »
Value remains the dominant large-cap factor trend as higher yields and energy inflation reward current cash flow, but AI infrastructure is creating selective Growth leadership. Investors should favor Energy, Financials, Health Care and cash-generative Industrials while remaining selective in Technology.
AI power demand is becoming a sector story, not just a thematic one. Flows favor semiconductors, infrastructure and electrification, while investors increasingly distinguish established cash-flow generators in Industrials and Utilities from concept stocks whose economics still depend on future commercialization.
Thematic Thursday: Power Demand Is Becoming a Sector Rotation Story Read More »
Inflation is reshaping the sector map without extinguishing AI leadership. Energy remains the clearest beneficiary of higher commodity prices, while Materials and Industrials gain from nominal spending. If inflation cools decisively, Real Estate offers the strongest potential valuation rebound upside.
Narrations of a Sector ETF Operator: Inflation Rewrites the Sector Map Read More »
COMMENTARY: The S&P 500 finished the holiday-shortened week with a modest 0.09% gain, as investors balanced a stronger-than-expected labor market against renewed concerns about inflation, interest rates and geopolitical risk. The August employment report showed 162,000 new jobs, well above expectations, while unemployment held at 4.1%. The report pushed Treasury yields higher and increased market
Weekly Performance Summary: September 4th, 2026 Read More »
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