We discuss the topic on everyone’s mind, Silicon Valley Bank, and delve into the reasons for its failure and potential consequences. Who’s to blame, who’s not, and what comes next?

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

We look at the self-proclaimed new Nasdaq, a.k.a., Ark, as emblematic of the ferocious return of speculation in 2023. We also look at the behavior of meme stock speculators and debate the role the Fed may or may not in fomenting speculation as it (and we) debate how restrictive policy is versus how restrictive it needs to be.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

Will and Adam discuss the challenges faced by the Fed as it sees financial conditions easing despite its efforts to restrict monetary policy. We also analyze the health of the consumer in the world of high interest rates, low savings rates, and increasing levels of debt. The unprecedented collapse in money supply growth, and the recent spike in velocity, are addressed as well.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

We review a challenging 2022, capped off by a December to forget for those looking for a Santa rally. The causes (Fed policy, rampant retail speculation) and effects (multiple compression, sizable capital losses) are analyzed, along with some perspective on how we are preparing for 2023.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

We give an enthusiastic meh to 2022, an anomalous year in so many ways: stocks and bonds both lower, the Fed raising rates at a historic pace, and geopolitical turmoil. We also delve into the Fed’s inflation versus recession conundrum, the consequences of capital once again having a cost, and what 2023 may hold based on our top-down process.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

We review the tumult in the crypto markets in the wake of FTX’s demise. The markets resilience in the face of crypto, geopolitical, and inflation headwinds is another topic of discussion. We also look at the technical indicators pointing toward a recession here in the U.S., as well as the market implications of a Fed pivot.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

In the wake of the release of the Fed’s minutes, we discuss relevant acronyms (FIFA, NATO, FUBAR) as well as a few four-letter words the hawkish comments elicited from markets. We compare the minutes to the tenor of the press conference, the likely paths inflation might follow, and the implications for equity valuations and earning.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

Does the market have one? We discuss the recent signs of market life despite what seems like the Fed’s desire to raise rates no matter the collateral damage. We also explore the parody that is risk parity, and the danger it poses to pension funds.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

We look at the historically woeful start to 2022 for both stocks and bonds and explain why these coinciding declines are causing stress in the financial system, as well for investors. We also analyze the efficacy of the Fed’s toolkit to fight inflation and how rate increases typically flow through the economy. Finally, we describe how the market has repriced earnings and illustrate how the numerator and denominator of the P/E ratio are affecting valuations.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.

Are recent comments by the Fed inspiring or perspiring? We discuss the sub-optimal setup for the European Central Bank, what is helping (and hurting) the case for a reversion to sub-2% inflation domestically, and what it means for markets over the near- and medium-term. Also, public service announcements on preventative health care and meme stocks.

Learn more about Formidable Asset Management, Will Brown, and Adam Eagleston by visiting www.formidableam.com.