After a topsy-turvy year in 2022, are Americans looking for a  fresh start? If so, what are the willing to give up or start doing to get things right? In short, what resolutions have Americans made to start the new year? What resolutions have Sam, Courtney and John made to better themselves? Finally, what are the resolutions some global leaders should have? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss new year’s resolutions and whether they are worth the effort.

After three consecutive years of the unexpected, what can investors expect in 2023. Will things return to some semblance of normal, if we even know what that means any longer? What are some of the safe predictions for the new year? Are there any black swans swimming towards us? If so, what will they be.

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the prospects for the upcoming year and come to a somewhat startling prediction. Will it come true or how can it not?

2022 was another weird year. The data was bizarre and geopolitical events were head scratching. Unfortunately, this led to a lot of red ink in the investment markets. With everything seemly out of kilter, were there any lessons to be learned? Any a ha moments? Good takeaways from a very frustrating year.

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam and John discuss the past year and come to a couple of conclusions. While they didn’t trade perspectives, they might have hit the nail on the head.

The holidays have always been a time for massive blockbuster movies. However, changing consumer behavior seems to be threatening this tradition.

After all, a lot of people wonder why they should pay no small sum of money in order to watch a movie that will be on a streaming service in a few weeks.

Still, others love the whole ceremony of going to the theater, getting a soda and popcorn, and enjoying the entertainment with others. Which side will win? The new consumer or the old traditionalist?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the movies and whether they plan on going to the theater over the holidays. Will it be a surprise who is planning on doing so or not?

In a nation where conformity is paramount, recent protests in China have made global headlines. It seems even the Chinese don’t like Beijing’s zero-COVID policy. However, is the government more concerned with the virus or controlling the citizenry. If the latter, what does that mean for the global economy moving forward? Can multinationals pull their manufacturing capacity out of the PRC fast enough? If so, to where exactly? After all, if China doesn’t protect the rights of its own population, why would it protect those of foreign companies?

This week, Sam, Courtney and John discuss China's lockdowns and the protests which have erupted in that country. How would we have responded in the US? What is Beijing’s real endgame and what can the rest of the world do about it?

With inflation eating away at wallets and pocketbooks, how strong will the US consumer be this holiday shopping season? Analyst estimates are all over the place. However, a sharp spike above the rate of inflation would be an enormous surprise. Will families with small children step up or back from the plate? How about Gen X and Baby Boomer “empty nesters’? Will Gen Z even spend money at all?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the upcoming holiday shopping season. Will it be better or worse than what the experts think?

Over the last 12 months, cryptocurrencies have fallen dramatically in value. Much of the downfall has to do with tighter monetary policy. However, recent scandals and exchange collapses at platforms like FTX have caused new questions. Are cryptocurrencies a legitimate store of value? Will they ever get back to those highs from 2021? Frankly, who is in charge here? Or is that still a selling point, that no one is in charge? Will anything be able to change the minds of either crypto bulls or crypto bears?

This week, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the collapse in the cryptocurrency market in 2022. Is it a temporary setback or will it forever change how investors view the asset class?

Although the government keeps reporting strong jobs numbers, it seems layoffs are on the rise. This is especially true in the technology sector, where many household names have announced some form of job cuts, hiring freezes, and downsizings. So, which is it? Is the labor market strong? Are these job losses contained within the tech sector? Or are they the proverbial “canary in the coal mine, with bigger labor pains to come?

This week, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the recent spate of layoffs in the tech sector and what it might mean for the broader economy…if anything.

Recent standardized test scores suggest US students fell sharply behind during the pandemic. This isn’t surprising given the problems with remote learning. However, is that the only reason? Could it be something greater and potentially more sinister? Are we failing our children by not making education a bigger priority? What does the future hold?

In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the recent National Assessment of Education Progress assessments and debate what, if anything, can be done to reverse the trend.

While the holiday shopping season seems to have been getting longer each year, some retailers put their Christmas decorations out in September. It is hard to get into the spirit when it is 80 degrees outside, so why has this happened? Is it due to excess inventories? Retailers worried consumers are going to reign in their spending this year? Has inflation forced the retail industry’s hand? Or is this just the way it is? In this week’s Trading Perspectives, Sam, Courtney and John discuss the holiday shopping season, and whether they have any plans to alter their expenditures this year. Will 2022 end on a ho-ho-ho or a oh-no-no?