May 24, 2025 The S&P 500 fell 2.6% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index fell 0.4%, while Gold rose 5.3% and Bitcoin rose 4.4%. Wall Street faced the most volatile week since early April as investors navigated rising long-term bond yields and economic uncertainty. The bond market wobbled after a weak 20-year bond auction and Moody’s US credit rating...
May 10, 2025 The S&P 500 fell 0.5% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index declined 0.2%, while Gold rallied 3.0% and Bitcoin jumped 6.3%. In a light week for economic news, the ISM Services report showed continued strength with the Purchasing Manager's Index still in expansion territory. The prices paid index rose again, indicating inflation pressure was already building...
May 3, 2025 The S&P 500 rose 2.9% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index fell 0.3%, Gold fell 2.2%, and Bitcoin rose 1.7%. The IMF downgraded the U.S. growth forecast this week due to tariff policies. The IMF now predicts 1.8% growth for 2025, down from 2.7%. The IMF believes tariffs could slow global economic activity and increase inflation...
April 19, 2025 The S&P 500 declined 1.5% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.9%, Gold rose 2.8%, and Bitcoin rose 1.2%. In a holiday shortened week, the NAHB Housing Market Index reported slight increases in Current Sales Conditions and Buyer Traffic, while Sales Expectations fell 4 points to their lowest since November 2023. Meanwhile, Building Permits edged...
Speaking at a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) dinner on April 8, President Donald Trump didn’t hold back in defending his aggressive tariff policy. Trump proudly mocked foreign leaders by saying, “These countries are calling us up, kissing my a**. They are dying to make a deal.” Classic Trump bravado. Even if you’re a MAGA die-hard, it’s important to recognize...
April 5, 2025 The S&P 500 fell 9% this week as a “tariff tantrum” erupted on Wall Street. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 1.1%, Gold fell 1.5%, and Bitcoin decoupled from risk assets by gaining 0.3%. The ISM Manufacturing PMI dropped to 49 last month, signaling contraction, with New Orders at a 22-month low and Prices Paid surging 7...
March 29, 2025 The S&P 500 fell 1.5% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index was flat, Gold rallied 2.0%, and Bitcoin declined 0.3%. Tariff fears continued to weigh on investor sentiment this week, along with a spate of poor economic data. Consumer confidence fell to 92.9, below its 2022 low. The Future Expectations Index fell to 65.2, well below...
March 22, 2025 The S&P 500 rose 0.4% this week, snapping a four-week losing streak. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index rose 0.5%, Gold rallied 1.2% and Bitcoin fell 0.9%. The Leading Economic Index declined -0.3% in February, weighed down by falling expectations for future business conditions and a decline in manufacturing new orders. The Existing Home Sales report jumped 4.2%...
March 16, 2025 The S&P 500 declined 2.2% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index was flat. Gold rallied 2.6% and Bitcoin shed 2.6%. Did all the people who sold Bitcoin this week buy gold? Both the CPI and PPI reports came in cooler than expected for February. We expected this month's readings to temporarily cool due to base effects...
March 9, 2025 The S&P 500 experienced its worst weekly decline in six months, falling 3.1%. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index fell 0.6%, while gold rose 1.9% and Bitcoin rallied 3.2%. The ISM Manufacturing PMI report ticked down to 50 in February. The Prices Paid Index jumped sharply, indicating rising cost pressure in the supply chain. The ISM Services PMI...
March 2, 2025 The S&P 500 declined 1.0% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 1.3%, gold fell 2.8%, and Bitcoin got clobbered by -11.2%. Consumer confidence declined in February and the Future Expectations Index fell 9 points. New homes sales dropped 10% in January, while the median home price continued to rise. The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) Price...
Feb 22, 2025 The S&P 500 declined 1.6% this week. The Bloomberg Aggregate Bond Index gained 0.4%, gold rose 1.7%, and Bitcoin fell 2.6%. Investors became skittish on Friday after a South China Morning Post report said a research team in China has identified a new bat coronavirus that could risk animal-to-human transmission. In other news, the Citi Economic Surprise...