Why the Market is So Confused Right Now

According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the U.S. economy peaked in February and officially entered a recession in March. This is a newsflash to exactly zero people. When the pandemic hit and the economy was put in the freezer, it was immediately obvious the longest economic expansion in this country’s history came to…

Some Things About the Markets That Will Never Change

This is the craziest market I’ve ever seen. The pandemic somehow turned a bunch of people into day traders.  At first they were buying beaten-down airline and cruise stocks. Now they’ve moved on to buying shares of companies that have filed for bankruptcy. Hertz, JC Penney, Pier 1, Chesapeake Energy and GNC have all filed…

Animal Spirits: Stock Market Euphoria

This week’s Animal Spirits with Michael & Ben is supported by YCharts: Mention Animal Spirits and receive 20% off your subscription price when you initially sign up for the service. We discuss: The biggest 50-day rally in stock market history The fastest stock market ever How far the market has come since March Why people underestimated the Fed…

The Craziest Charts of the Year (So Far)

The consensus from economists for this week’s employment report was a payroll decline of 7.5 million employees, which would translate into an unemployment rate of 19.1%. Based on everything we’re hearing and seeing in the economy and economic data throughout the pandemic, this seemed like a decent estimate of what was to come. To quote…