Typically, the first full blog of the year reviews returns of benchmark index ETFs and opines on what prevailed in the past year through five years, then provides analysis that could provide insights into the future for US equities and other asset classes. This year is no different in that respect. Financial Advisory Services based … Read more
U.S. equity markets entered the first trading days of the new year on a mixed footing, with weakness concentrated in mega-cap growth and technology while selective strength appeared across small caps, energy, and industrial sectors. Dividend-oriented and defensive exposures also showed relative resilience. The dispersion in sector and factor performance underscores an ongoing rotation theme … Read more
Strategists, economists, and all manners of pundits have been somberly telling us since January why market euphoria is misplaced. There has been no shortage of rationales for their bearish forecasts. Tariffs, systemic instability, recession, inflation, ridiculously unprecedented valuations and more have explained why a major correction or potential crash has been inevitable this year. Their … Read more
Weekly Market Recap – Week Ending September 26, 2025 The markets are in the process closing out the month September on a stronger note than its reputation would suggest, with gains across most major equity indexes and sector ETFs. Energy and utilities outperformed as defensive sectors found strength, while technology and growth pulled back modestly. … Read more
The first 100 days of Trump 2.0 have been anything but “business as usual.” During the past several weeks with tariff wars and Administration policy changes taking center stage, huge volatility swings in both directions have greatly disturbed many investors. Seemingly, there has seldom been a better time to be a volatility trader. All 5,200+ … Read more
Despite expectations for weak-to-negative returns in 2024 because of an anticipated recession that never happened, 2024 has been a very strong year for the market and its major benchmark ETFs. The S&P 500 has been in a relentless uptrend since rebounding from the lows of the bear market of 2022. The Nasdaq-100 has been even … Read more
Farewell and thank you to 2023 which exceeded almost everybody’s expectations after a dismal 2022 and predictions of a dire recession. This blog was more positive than most, projecting a 5% to 10% gain for the S&P 500 vs. the actual price gain of 23.9%. Now it’s on to 2024. Let’s start with our quarterly … Read more
The third quarter of 2023 is now history. The September effect overwhelmed mildly positive returns in July and August to submerge all six benchmark indexes we monitor quarterly into the red. Although the order of best to worst varies among the six indexes, one commonality is having September as the worst historical month, both in … Read more
Approaching 2023, the experts were in near unanimity that the fourth quarter of 2022 was little more than a dead cat bounce and that once the inevitable recession hit, the bear market would quickly take the S&P 500 Index to new lows. Instead, the first six months have seen the Nasdaq-100 ETF, Invesco QQQ rise … Read more
In January, we published “Rotating Regimes – What to Plan For in 2023.” At that time, we recounted that the 2022 US Stock Market was a conflagration that wiped out almost everything in its path with the exception of a few industries and ETFs. At that time, we reported that two Benchmark ETFs we track, … Read more