Market Commentary — May 23, 2022
The S&P 500 Index fell into bear market territory last week, down roughly 20.9% from its January intraday high, on concerns that inflation was curbing consumer spending.
Market Commentary — May 16, 2022
U.S. stocks recorded a second consecutive week of losses as investors question the Fed's ability to achieve a "soft landing", aka taming inflation without killing the economy and plunging it into recession. U.S. inflation data edged down to 8.3% in April but remains close to the fastest pace in 40 years.
Still Believe In Disruption? ARKK Vs. XOUT
The ARK Innovation Fund (NYSEARCA: ARKK) is ARK Investment Management’s flagship ETF, with more than $7.8 billion in assets under management. ARKK’s fund objective is to invest in companies that capture the theme of disruptive innovation. What exactly is “disruptive innovation”?
EQM Indexes Market Commentary — May 9, 2022
Stocks suffered their fifth straight week of losses as interest rate and inflation worries weighed heavily on market sentiment, hitting growth stocks particularly hard. The Dow joined the S&P 500 and S&P Midcap in correction territory, while the NASDAQ and Russell 2000 Smallcap indices sit firmly in bear territory, down more than 25%. Markets have been extremely volatile, although the VIX remains below intraday levels reached back in January.
EQM Indexes Market Commentary — May 2, 2022
The S&P 500 Index of U.S. large-cap stocks fell to its lowest level in 2022. Despite strong earnings from bellwethers such as Apple, Microsoft, and Meta Platforms, Amazon's earnings disappointed, posting its first quarterly loss since 2015 and sending its shares down 14%.
Should You Bet Defiantly Against BLOK?
Defiance ETFs has filed for a new ETF that shorts the Amplify Transformational Data Sharing ETF (BLOK). Given BLOK’s track record of success since its inception in 2018, up over 100% on a cumulative basis, the idea of shorting it seems odd.
EQM Indexes Market Commentary — April 25, 2022
The major U.S. market indices ended lower last week, with Value outpacing Growth and Large Caps trailing their smaller-cap peers, thanks in part to Netflix's 35% implosion on global subscription losses. More importantly, it was revealed that everyone on the planet is using the same username and password (hyperbole, but it's a problem nonetheless).
EQM Indexes Market Commentary — April 18, 2022
Most of the big players in the ETF industry were in Miami last week for Exchange: The ETF Experience Conference at the Fontainebleau. There were some great sessions and it was nice to see colleagues in person again. Not too many masks, but lots of hand sanitizer for the vaxed or negative testing crowd. I will recap some of the highlights below, but first here's a brief recap of the market week.
EQM Indexes Market Commentary — April 11, 2022
As investors brace for rate hikes, market action was choppy last week. Defensive sectors such as consumer staples and healthcare recorded solid gains, while technology, communication services, and consumer discretionary sold off. One tech outlier was the shares of Twitter which soared 27% last Monday on news that Elon Musk acquired a 9.2% stake in the company.
EQM Indexes 1Q 2022 Market Review – Optimists vs. Pessimists
During the first quarter, U.S. stock markets recorded their first quarterly loss in two years and the U.S. bond market suffered its worst quarter in 40 years. The start of the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hiking cycle, persistently high inflation, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, combined, creating a volatile quarter for both stocks and bonds.