In this week’s episode, the Money Wise guys discuss a market pullback as we come down from the “Trump Bump”, what the Fed is saying about interest rates, and the animal spirits of capitalism. First, let’s look at last week’s numbers from Wall Street, which saw the Dow down 1.2%, the S&P 500 down 2.1%, and the NASDAQ down 3.1%. YTD we’re still in the black, with the Dow up 15.3%, the S&P up 23.1%, and the NASDAQ up 24.4%. Was it an attack of the Fed last week? The Money Wise guys discuss how remarks from a current and former Fed Governor impacted the markets last week, as well as why it’s not surprising to have a market pullback as investors come down from the post-election sugar high. They also discuss the wisdom of using a market pullback as a buying opportunity, even at high valuations. We saw some market-friendly numbers released last week with regard to inflation, and the Money Wise guys also discuss what we might expect in 2025, though much is still speculation.

Let’s review the basics of a market pullback since we experienced one last week. A market pullback refers to a brief decline or pause in a generally upward market trend. Investors who are confident the pullback will be brief may use it as a buying opportunity, as the Money Wise guys discuss in this episode. To learn more about what a market pullback means, check out this resource. In the second hour, the Money Wise guys pull back the curtain to share What Wall Street Won’t Tell You. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

In this week’s episode, the Money Wise guys discuss how the markets reacted to the presidential election, including conviction buys, historic spikes, and a level of volume rarelyt seen. First, let’s review the numbers from Wall Street. Last week, the Dow was up 4.6%, the S&P 500 was up 4.7%, and the NASDAQ was up 5.7%. YTD the Dow is up 16.7%, the S&P is up 25.7%, and the NASDAQ is up 28.5%. The Money Wise guys are feeling giddy this week, and and the market seems to feel the same. All three major indices are at all-time highs, and it was the best week for the Dow and S&P in four years. In fact, the day after the election gave us the biggest gains the Dow has seen post-election since 1896 and largest post-election gains for the S&P and the NASDAQ in history. The guys parse through the numbers, discuss the opportunity cost faced by those who chose to sit on the sidelines before the election, and what we saw as far as conviction buying and short covering. For more on what the markets usually look like post-election, check out this resource from The Street.

Since the Money Wise guys mention conviction buying in this episode, let’s dig into what this phenomenon is. Conviction buying is when an investor - in this case many - feels absolutely convinced that they have properly analyzed what a stock or stock index will do, as well as being absolutely convinced that they will make an outstanding gain. In this case, conviction buying refers to all those investors who were hedging their bets prior to the election and have now decided to buy in.

In the second hour, the Money Wise guys share important differences in an RIA vs. Broker discussion. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

The Numbers Don’t Lie on Rising Consumer Costs & Political Talk Ahead of the Election

In this week’s episode of Money Wise, the Money Wise guys discuss economic statistics, rising consumer costs, and why so many investors aren’t ready to deploy capital until after the election. First, let’s begin with a look at last week’s numbers from Wall Street. The Dow was down 0.1%, the S&P 500 was down 1.4%, and the NASDAQ was down 1.5%. YTD all three indices remain in the black, with the Dow up 11.6%, the S&P 500 up 20.1%, and the NASDAQ up 21.5%. October showed a fairly flat month across the board, which may have to do with so many investors waiting to see how the elections will pan out before deploying additional capital. The guys also discuss the recent Microsoft hit, why we saw significant selling last week, and where the sales volume falls in relation to the daily moving average. Last week was also chock-full of economic stats, including the PCE Index. The Money Wise guys discuss the impacts of inflation and how so much in the consumers’ “basket of goods” has gotten more expensive.

Rising Consumer Costs: By The Numbers

The Money Wise guys mention the PCE Price Index in this episode in relation to rising consumer costs. This index measures inflation by tracking the cost of living for households, and it is the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure of prices in the U.S. The Money Wise guys discuss why rising consumer costs may be the reason we are seeing higher than normal early voting, as more voters cast their ballots with their pocketbooks in mind. For more on the PCE Index and rising consumer costs, check out this resource.

In the second hour, the Money Wise guys share important warnings about Equity Index Annuities. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

The Money Wise guys are back in the studio for another engaging episode of real-talk about the markets, including the S&P 500 technical chart. Last week was a mixed bag, as the Dow was down 2.7%, the S&P 500 was down 1.0%, and the NASDAQ was up 0.2%. YTD the Dow remains up 11.7%, the S&P remains up 21.8%, and the NASDAQ remains up a whopping 23.4%. It’s still earnings season, with several Magnificent 7 names coming out next week. Looking at the S&P 500 technical chart, we appear to be dancing a market cha cha, with a pattern of two steps forward and three steps back, and a volume consistently below the daily moving average. The Money Wise guys explain that it’s likely due to the impending presidential election, with many circling the field and waiting to see what happens.

We’ve focused much on investor education in the past few episodes, and this is no exception. Let’s dig into what the S&P 500 technical chart is, and what it means for market analysis. The S&P 500 is a highly influential measure of overall market health. The technical chart is a real-time gauge for a selected timeframe, and it’s based on the most popular technical indicators, such as moving averages, oscillators, and pivots. For more on the S&P 500 technical chart, check out this resource.

In the second hour, the Money Wise guys share The Best Investment Advice Ever. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

The Money Wise Guys are back with another look at last week’s numbers from Wall Street, along with a discussion about market seasonality and the interplay between politics and investing. Last week, the Dow was up 1.0%, the S&P 500 was up 0.9%, and the NASDAQ was up 0.8%. YTD the Dow is up 14.8%, the S&P is up 23.0%, and the NASDAQ is up 23.2% - though it still hasn’t reached its all-time high from July. In this episode, the Money Wise guys discuss the potential consequences of one of the most important presidential elections of our lives, as well as why they don’t recommend making investment decisions based on politics. Some investors are feeling reluctant to make decisions until the election is over, but it’s a mistake to sit on your hands because the most important thing is to keep participating in the market. The guys also discuss why the markets like congressional gridlock and why we shouldn’t fear an end to capitalism as we know it - no matter who wins the White House. The Money Wise guys also continue to discuss market seasonality and why the second half of October could prove volatile.

We all know the market fluctuates, and there are some periods of time each year when those fluctuations become more pronounced. The Money Wise guys mention market seasonality in October in this episode because, while the month often provides a rally after a tough August and September, this year might be different. Market seasonality in October may deviate from historic trends this year. You can read more about what to expect from market seasonality in October in this illuminating MarketWatch article. Check out this resource for more on seasonality trends.

In the second hour, the Money Wise guys share the 10 Myths of Retirement Planning. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

The Money Wise guys are back with a new episode this week, starting with a review of last week’s numbers from Wall Street. The Dow was up 1.2%, the S&P 500 was up 1.1%, and the NASDAQ was up 1.1%. YTD the Dow is up 13.7%, the S&P is up 21.9%, and the NASDAQ is up 22.2%. Though it was the Dow that had the biggest Q3, we’re seeing the NASDAQ pull away these last few weeks. The Magnificent 7 wasn’t getting quite as much love in Q3, and the Money Wise guys are pleased to see market performance starting to broaden out. They share an eye-opening stat on market breadth: more than 400 stocks in the S&P 500 boast prices above their 200-day moving averages. October had a negative start, possibly because of the yield curve in late Q2 in anticipation of Fed rate cuts, and the guys discuss what that means.

Since we don’t like to use jargon without fully explaining, let’s dig into some yield curve basics. A yield curve is a line that plots the yields or interest rates of bonds that have equal credit quality but different maturity dates. The slope of a yield curve predicts the direction of interest rates and the economic expansion or contraction that could result. Check out a few yield curve scenarios - and what they could mean - here.

In the second hour, the Money Wise guys share a helpful ‘Are You Ready for Retirement?’ quiz. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

This week’s show kicks off with a rapid-fire review of last week’s numbers from Wall Street so let’s jump right in. The Dow was up 0.6%, the S&P 500 was up 0.6%, and the NASDAQ - which has outperformed both the Dow and the S&P this quarter - was up 1.0%. YTD we see the Dow up 12.3%, the S&P 500 up 20.3%, and the NASDAQ up 20.7%. It’s been a September to remember, since this time of year doesn’t typically give us a positive month, especially for the Dow. The Money Wise guys admit their surprise and discuss which Fed moves may be helping the markets. Will this rally last in the long term? We simply don’t know yet. However, we seem to be at very high valuations these days, and the Money Wise guys practiced prudence in the month of September.

Let’s discuss the market valuations aspect of what we’ve been seeing. We’ve been running above the 5- and 10-year averages from a historic perspective, and being overvalued can make many investors nervous. However, let’s dig into current market valuations a bit deeper. Extrapolating the statistics and removing the Magnificent 7 from the market-cap weighted S&P 500, we see that the market is nowhere near overvalued. In fact, market valuations are below the 5- and 10-year averages. So, we continue to see how the Magnificent 7 is skewing the market valuations of the S&P when you look at valuation in totality.

In the second hour today, the Money Wise guys discuss 401(k) rollovers. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.

To kick off this week’s episode, the Money Wise guys report strong market performance for the past week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 670 points (1.6%), the S&P 500 up 77 points (1.4%), and the NASDAQ rising by 264 points (1.5%). Year-to-date, both the S&P 500 and NASDAQ are up 19.6%, with the Dow up 11.6%. They discuss how, with only six trading days left in the third quarter, the Dow has outperformed the NASDAQ, signaling a shift away from tech stocks toward broader market participation. The Money Wise guys also focus on the Federal Reserve's unexpected decision to cut interest rates by 0.5% instead of the anticipated 0.25%. They admit they were surprised by the larger cut, noting it felt like the Fed was correcting a missed opportunity from July. They express concerns about the optics of the Fed’s move so close to the election, potentially undermining its bipartisan image. The Money Wise guys also speculate that no further rate cuts would likely occur until after the presidential election, despite strong market reactions following the rate cut. Additionally, they note similarities between the Fed’s action and the European Central Bank's earlier rate cut of 0.5%, drawing parallels between the two institutions.

This quarter, the Dow outperformed the NASDAQ, with the Dow up 7.5% compared to the NASDAQ's modest 1.2% gain. This shift in performance is significant because it signals a broader market rally, moving away from the tech-heavy focus that has dominated the NASDAQ in recent years. Investors appear to be rotating out of high-growth tech stocks and into more stable, blue-chip companies that make up the Dow, which suggests a healthier, more diversified market environment. This shift indicates that investors are seeking more balanced opportunities, reducing reliance on a few dominant tech companies, and positioning portfolios to benefit from a wider range of sectors.

In the second hour today, the Money Wise guys discuss RIA vs. Broker. You don’t want to miss the details! Tune in for the full discussion on your favorite podcast provider or at davidsoncap.com, where you can also learn more about the Money Wise guys or take advantage of a portfolio review and analysis with Davidson Capital Management.