Market Beat

In today’s episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal digs into a third-quarter IPO market where AI did the heavy lifting. Twenty-seven operating companies went public in the quarter, down from 48 in the second, raising nearly $35 billion, well ahead of the $15 billion raised in the same quarter last year. Year to date, 108 companies have raised $155 billion, compared with 161 c...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal digs into a third-quarter IPO market where AI did the heavy lifting. Twenty-seven operating companies went public in the quarter, down from 48 in the second, raising nearly $35 billion, well ahead of the $15 billion raised in the same quarter last year. Year to date, 108 companies have raised $155 billion, compared with 1...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal looks at the financial conditions underpinning saving, borrowing, and investing. Chief Economist Chris Graja's call of the week is for conditions to stay supportive, with the OFR Financial Stress Index holding below zero. The index, built by the Treasury's Office of Financial Research from 33 market variables incl...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal looks at how global stocks are outshining U.S. markets even with the S&P 500 near record highs. The leading emerging market ETF has gained 22% year to date versus 13% for the S&P 500 and 8% for the developed international index, making overseas stocks, particularly dividend payers, an option for investors looking...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal marks 17 weeks of the podcast and looks ahead to what history says about fourth-quarter performance. Analyzing S&P 500 data from 1980 to 2025, Argus finds the fourth quarter has generated average gains of 4.7%, well ahead of the 2.0%, 3.3%, and 0.5% averages for the first three quarters, with a win rate of 83%, meanin...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a market rally driven by a cooler-than-expected inflation reading. The PCE Price Index, the Fed's preferred gauge, rose at a 3.4% annual pace in August, down from 3.7% the prior month and below the 3.7% consensus, marking the slowest annualized reading in six months. Core PCE came in even lower at 3.0%, with en...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal previews Wednesday's PCE Price Index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, and explains why it's favored over the better-known CPI: its composition changes more frequently, making it quicker to reflect real-time pricing shifts. Through July, PCE inflation ran at 3.7% year over year with core at 3.3%, and Argus...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal previews Friday's September Jobs report, where Argus forecasts the unemployment rate will tick down to 4.0% from 4.1%, against a consensus for no change. The optimism rests on strong third-quarter growth, with the Atlanta Fed's GDPNow projecting 5% for the quarter, up from 1.5% in the second, and real final sales...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal looks ahead to November's midterm elections and what history says about market performance around them. With Republicans currently controlling the Presidency, Senate, and House, prediction markets give Democrats an 89% chance of taking the House while the GOP narrowly holds the Senate, as presidential approval sits at...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers Argus's updated sector allocations for the fourth quarter, with one upgrade: Energy moves to Over-Weight from Market-Weight. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains well below pre-war levels, and the conflict has exposed how vulnerable regional energy infrastructure is in the age of drone warfare, leading...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal shares the Argus holiday sales outlook, forecasting a 4.1% rise in 2026 holiday retail sales to top $1 trillion for a second straight year. Argus builds the forecast from 11 categories, with the three largest, grocery stores, general merchandise stores, and e-commerce, expected to grow 1%, 3%, and 7% respectively, with on...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal looks at which industries and companies stand to benefit as the Fed returns to a tightening stance. With the Fed Funds target now at 3.75% to 4% and Argus Fed Watcher Kevin Heal expecting one more 25 basis point hike before year end, Argus highlights potential winners from a sustained period of higher rates, including Ban...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal breaks down the Fed's decision to raise the Fed Funds Rate by 25 basis points to a target of 3.75% to 4%, marking the first move under new Chairman Kevin Warsh and the start of what looks like a new tightening cycle. The hike comes as the war in Iran disrupts supply chains and pushes oil prices up nearly 75% year to d...

In today's episode of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a cautious recovery as markets await the Fed's rate decision this afternoon, with a hike widely expected as the two-day policy meeting concludes. August retail sales came in strong at 1.2%, well above the 0.8% consensus and reversing the prior month's decline, led by non-store retailers. Mortgage rates clim...

50 episodes! Thank you to everyone who's been listening. In episode 50 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal delivers a change in the Argus rate forecast: the firm now expects the FOMC to tighten by a quarter point tomorrow, lifting the target range to 3.75% to 4.0%, with an additional quarter-point increase before year end. The revision comes as employment holds surprisingly h...

In episode 49 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a broad pullback in AI names after a group of AI leaders warned that a developmental slowdown may be necessary to keep the technology from spiraling out of control. Marvell falls 6%, AMD drops 5.5%, and Nvidia, Nebius, and Sandisk all decline, while CrowdStrike bucks the trend with a 12% gain after its CEO argued AI develop...

In episode 48 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a down day as crude oil climbs another 3% to $96 a barrel, stoking inflation fears and pushing the major indices lower. In Active Stocks, Casey's General Stores drops 15% on tepid same-store sales guidance despite an earnings beat, Chewy falls 7% even after raising full-year revenue guidance, and Meta Platforms rises 5%...

In episode 47 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a sour day on Wall Street as new tariffs from Canada, climbing oil prices, and growing expectations of a Fed rate hike next week all weigh on sentiment, sending the Dow down more than 1% and crude up 2% to $93 a barrel. Chip heavyweights Intel and AMD help cushion the Nasdaq, rising 8% and 4% respectively, while Oracle gain...

In episode 46 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a modest gain for the major indices ahead of tomorrow's August employment report. Weekly jobless claims rose marginally to 206,000, roughly in line with expectations and suggesting no significant shifts in the labor market. In Active Stocks, Snowflake soars 22% on an earnings beat and raised full-year guidance, Nvidia g...

In episode 45 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a softer-than-expected private jobs report ahead of Friday's government payrolls data. The ADP National Employment Report showed 38,000 private payroll jobs created in August, below both the 47,000 consensus and last month's 44,000, with education and health services adding jobs while manufacturing and professional...

In episode 44 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal kicks off September with a look at why it's historically the market's worst month. Argus analysis of S&P 500 returns going back to 1980 shows September is the only month with an average loss, shedding about 0.9% annually, with a win rate of just 48% and some brutal outliers including 2008's 13.6% drop. The episode...

In episode 43 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a down day as renewed strikes between the U.S. and Iran push oil higher and weigh on the broader market. Energy names including Halliburton, SLB, Chevron, and Exxon Mobil all move up as crude climbs 3% to $86 a barrel, while the 10-year Treasury yield rises 4 basis points to 4.76% on growing sentiment that rates could head...

In episode 42 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a strong day for tech earnings and asks a question on every investor's mind: when does the next pullback come? Nvidia rises 6% on a beat and upbeat guidance, Salesforce surges 21%, and CrowdStrike jumps 19%, while HP falls 7% on disappointing results. The Market Buzz digs into sector rotation, where semiconductors and o...

In episode 41 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal covers a hotter-than-expected inflation print that has investors watching the Fed closely. The PCE index rose 0.2% in July, above the 0.1% consensus, putting full-year inflation at 3.7%, with elevated service-sector prices offsetting a 0.1% decline in goods. Treasury yields moved higher on the news. In Active Stocks, Intuit falls...

In episode 40 of Market Beat by Argus Research, host Caroline Wygal takes a hard look at Bitcoin, which is down 11% year to date and roughly 30% below its all-time highs despite a nearly 20% jump over the past week. The rally traces back to the Treasury's announcement that it will increase purchases of longer-term securities, a move that worked for a day before fixed-income investors refocused...