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Mag 7, or Lag 7?

I have been an advocate of holding a barbell position of U.S. large-cap growth and EAFE value stocks in equity allocations. More recently, the EAFE value portion has outperformed while the U.S. large-cap growth component has lagged. As a consequence, I am increasingly seeing questions of whether it’s time to rethink the allocation to U.S....

Did Trump Jinx S&P 7000?

Mid-week market update: The S&P 500 achieved a fresh all-time high yesterday (Tuesday) and it touched 7000 today before retreating. President Trump posted about the event, did he jinx the market?     Probably not. The Fed presented the market with a number of potential surprises. In the end, the Fed decision and the subsequent...

A Welcome Sentiment Reset

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The “Ultimate Market Timing Model” is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

How to Position for the Greenland and Other 2026 TACOs

When the markets became rattled by the prospect of a Trump threat to annex Greenland over the weekend, I knew that a TACO (Trump Always Chickens Out) walk back was inevitable. I observed in the past that the markets would eventually discipline Trump’s unusual excesses. Indeed, the combination of a spiking 10-year Treasury yield and...

Greenland Follows the Powell Playbook

Mid-week market update: Investors have seen this movie before in the recent past. A market moving event breaks over the weekend. The market freaks out at the open. The market calms soon after and life goes on.   The last time this happened, the news was an investigation of Fed Chair Powell. This time, it’s...

Embrace the Market’s Animal Spirits

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The “Ultimate Market Timing Model” is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

A Time to Reap

I know that I have been negative on many Trump policies in these pages, but to everything there is a season. For U.S. equity investors, early 2026 is a time to reap the benefits of Trump’s 2025 policies. Last year was tumultuous for policy, but policy uncertainty is fading, and the stimulative and pro-cyclical elements...

Remarkable Bullish Resilience

Mid-week market update: The S&P 500 is pulling back to test its rising trend line and the VVIX, or the volatility of the VIX Index, spikes above the key 100 level, which indicates rising market anxiety. However, an analysis of market internals reveal a remarkable level of bullish resilience in the face of recent unsettling headlines...

A Momentum-Driven Start to 2026

Preface: Explaining our market timing models We maintain several market timing models, each with differing time horizons. The “Ultimate Market Timing Model” is a long-term market timing model based on the research outlined in our post, Building the ultimate market timing model. This model tends to generate only a handful of signals each decade.   The Trend...

Regime Change Adventures: Bush, Obama, and now Trump

Emerging market shocks follow a familiar pattern in quantitative investing. When the event occurs, quantitative factor responses in stock selection get thrown out the window. As the smoke clears, top-down strategists map out the direction and magnitude of the shock, and technical analysis factors like price momentum and reversals start to work. As the magnitude...