Insights Investments

At the beginning of the year, we wrote in our 2023 Outlook that the US dollar was poised to weaken, creating tailwinds for Americans who invest in International stocks and S&P 500 earnings. We reiterated that this is starting to happen in our Mid-Year Outlook, “Edging Closer to Normal.” The chart below shows the recent …

“Despite the slowing recovery in tourism in the region overall, one contact highlighted that May was the strongest month for hotel revenue in Philadelphia since the onset of the pandemic, in large part due to an influx of guests for the Taylor Swift concerts in the city,”  -Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank The economy has surprised …

Stocks have continued to bounce back in 2023 after last year’s bear market, and with the debt ceiling fight in Congress now behind us, what could the rest of the year look like? Is the market still trending in the right direction? What moves should we expect from the Fed? Are fears of a recession …

The June CPI report was a positive surprise, both in terms of the headline numbers as well as the underlying details. Headline inflation rose 0.2% in June, which translates to a 2.2% annual pace. Over the past three months, inflation’s averaged about 2.7%, and over the last year it’s up 3.0%. That’s well off the …

Six months ago we were one of the only places that said there wouldn’t be a recession in ’23 and stocks could do quite well, maybe even hitting new highs with some good news. To say that wasn’t a popular call would be a major understatement. Now after one of the best starts to a …

“Here I go again on my own. Going down the only road I’ve ever known.” -Here I Go Again by Whitesnake One of the main reasons we came into 2023 overweight equities (when everyone else was talking recessions and bear markets) was the over-the-top negativity. Rarely is the crowd and obvious trade right when it …

What a first half it has been, with stocks having one of their best starts to a year ever and the economy defying many by avoiding the most broadcast recession of all-time. We came into this year saying good things could happen and it wasn’t very well received, as nearly everyone on tv was talking …

We started this year discussing how the economy has been at the “edge of normal” in our 2023 outlook. The good news is that we have slowly but surely moved towards normal since then, even in the face of a banking crisis and debt ceiling drama. The “soft” economic data from sentiment surveys have been …

“I am an optimist because I don’t see the point in being anything else.” -Abraham Lincoln And with that, the first half of the year is a wrap. What can we say other than all those calls for a recession and new bear market lows sure didn’t play out. We were one of the only …

We’ve been getting a string of “economic surprises” from the consumer side for several months now. Employment data is a prime example, with monthly payroll gains coming in above expectations for 14 straight months. For a change, we just got some good news from the business side, particularly business investment. The Census Bureau collects data …

Next month will mark my one-year anniversary with Carson Group! I’ve had a blast this past year and I can honestly say it has been the most fun I’ve ever had. It has now been more than seven years that I’ve worked with Advisors and had you told me 10 years ago I’d do this …