ONE-TWENTY TWO: Trading Financial Markets
Exploring the poetry in financial markets for students of money and economy since the year 2000.
Stock Market Commentary Finally the bears break in on all the fun the bulls have had for months. The stock market got overwhelmed with a flood of bad news that was just too difficult to ignore or look through (for now). The July jobs report was not just weak but also it included a massive … Read more
Stock Market Commentary This week brought a return of market calm across the stock market following a sharp but brief trade-induced shock. The episode began with President Trump’s threat of significant tariffs on Europe (and foreign-made iPhones), which rattled the market. However, that fear evaporated after Trump walked back his threats with a 90-day pause … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market experienced a hiccup in an otherwise strong post-oversold bounce. The Q1 GDP report revealed a small contraction that surprisingly caught the market off guard. However, this contraction was driven primarily by a surge in imports as businesses rushed to get ahead of anticipated tariffs. I assume a lot of … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The current administration’s policy of long-term growth through short-term pain in the form of austerity came into clear focus last week. I earlier introduced this concept in “Growth Scare or Overreaction – An Oversold Market or Something Worse?“. Last week, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent laid out the strategy in detailed economic … Read more
Stock Market Commentary The stock market looked ready to follow through on leaving its troubles behind. The S&P 500 even made a new all-time high. Everything seemed to fall apart on Friday. The final release of consumer expectations as measured by the University Michigan confirmed earlier preliminary numbers: inflation expectations soared and consumer sentiment tanked. … Read more