The S&P 500 is now down 25% YTD, which puts it in the top 10 worst selloffs historically.  What is particularly unique about this bear market is that bonds have offered no help whatsoever, generating massive losses as well.  Even conservative investment grade bonds are down by 22% YTD, when the previous biggest loss on...Read More

It’s been a bleak week and month frankly, with the S&P 500 down nearly 5% on the week as I write, and well over 11% on the month.  Current market sentiment is as bad as it has been since the Financial Crisis, which is really saying something given there have been quite a few significantly...Read More

Markets have had a nice rally since the mid-June lows, as signs that inflation has peaked have investors a bit more optimistic that the Federal Reserve won’t have to raise rates as far.  I’m definitely in the camp that the inflation growth rate has peaked and the signs of it are quite pervasive.  With that...Read More

When you are in the midst of a bear market, all the news is bad.  You are usually either in or about to be in a recession. Analysts that kept telling you to buy stocks at 50% higher prices, now tell you to sell the same stocks despite them being dramatically cheaper.  Economic data gets...Read More

During bear markets, it is not uncommon for market participants to be focused on if there could be another 10-15% downside, regardless of the fact that the market is far cheaper than it has been in several years when they were willing to invest aggressively.  Bear markets bring out the biggest pessimists, peddling the most...Read More

  Today’s CPI inflation data came in hot at 8.3%, down slightly from the previous report, but higher than expectations. Inflation is rampant in all the key areas that impact our daily lives such as food, energy, shelter and transportation.  The sting of higher prices and the disruption emerging from the Chinese lockdowns has the...Read More

What a terrible month for the equity markets.  As I write this, the Nasdaq looks set to close down 12.% for April, which is its worst monthly performance since October of 2008, which was when we were seeing some of the worst developments of the Financial Crisis.  The index is now down more than 23%...Read More

The Nasdaq is now officially in a bear market as defined by a 20% decline from the highs, while the S&P 500 and Dow Jones indices are in corrections, with losses greater than 10%.  The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the economic sanctions brought against Russia in response are a major deal for the global...Read More

  I came across a very interesting article written by value investor and market historian Richard Pzena.  As you know, the closest comparison to the current market environment is the Tech Bubble, as the most expensive companies have seen P/E multiple expansion, while value stocks have seen multiple compression.  As you can see on the...Read More

As the economy reopens, cyclical value stocks are starting to perform a lot better. Remember, that what we experienced was something that has never happened before, with the major economies across the globe shutting down due to a virus.  I’d suggest the lock-down was more like the black swan rather than the pandemic, which are...Read More