The Lance Roberts Show Podcast

(5/17/22) Stocks are looking to open sharply higher following yesterday's consolidation and advance. This makes three "green" days in a row, providing more lift to markets in the short term. Our initial target on SPY is still 416--at the 20-DMA, the first level of resistance, and also part of the current downtrend. The next level up will be 430 or 431. We will want to use any rally to dell into an...

(5/16/22) Markets' performance last week would tend to set-up for an opportunity to rally--but will it stick? Analysts' earnings estimates are still way too high; comparing nuclear explosions, road trip cuisine vs gas station food; what we don't want to see today. Markets are doing their best to frustrate investors; use the coming rally to correct mistakes. The saga of Chicken Salad Chick; Why Joe...

(5/16/22) Markets put in a big bottom last week--at least for the short term. Even though markets finished down for the day on Thursday, they rallied back above the open, setting up a green candle, and establishing a test of the level at three standard-deviations from the 50-DMA. Friday's subsequent rally pushed the index up to within two standard-deviations from the 50-DMA, and got close to trigg...

(5/16/22) This is a bonus airing of a previously broadcast show with Lance Roberts and Michael Lebowitz Inflation is running hotter than the Fed would like; the major indexes are masking the reality of underlying stocks' plight; dealing with margin debt is playing a role in market's performance; 4 out of 8 CPI sectors were elevated in April--oddly, Energy was not one of them. Month/Month and Year/...

(5/13/22) Yes, this is a reprise of a previously-broadcast show. Despite all the gyrations on Wall Street this week, the S&P is still above Monday's close; just about the time you think you know what's going on, the market proves otherwise. There is no better time to create a financial plan; The Fed and Administration are truly tone-deaf to what the rest of America is dealing with; Why K-mart'...

(5/12/22) Inflation is running hotter than the Fed would like; the major indexes are masking the reality of underlying stocks' plight; dealing with margin debt is playing a role in market's performance; 4 out of 8 CPI sectors were elevated in April--oddly, Energy was not one of them. Month/Month and Year/Year comparisons actually showed a decline; former Fed'er Bill Dudley continues to call out th...

(5/12/22) Markets remain under pressure after April CPI numbers show hotter-than-expected inflation. But looking at longer-term charts can give a better understanding of where we've been...and where we're going. Are we over-bought, or over-sold, and where is the downside risk, and where is the potential support, moving forward? The S&P is currently 3-standard-deviations below the 50-week Movin...

(5/11/22) Utopia vs Dystopia is like theory vs reality: Why the Government's solution for fighting inflation never works; Should you buy the dip? Why buy the market bottom is a bear trap for investors; the best investment I ever made; what advisors are telling people that's good and bad; recency bias and investor psychology; contrarian investing strategies; Benchmarking progress over a two-year sp...

(5/11/22) The CPI inflation print for April could affect markets today--will it come in softly, or reflect a stronger print from April 2021. If inflation wanes, will the Fed be less aggressive? If so, that's an encouraging sign for growth stocks in particular. The market Tuesday did try to rally, but failed; markest are still deeply over-sold on every metric we track, so a lot of fuel remains for...

(5/10/22) Monday's market Capitulation actually smelled like margin calls coming home to roost; as financial conditions continue to tighten, the Fed is relentless in its squeeze. The inflation now was caused by "free" money (which isn't); the best course for the Fed now is to do nothing, and allow inflation to run its course in curing itself. Low volatility begets high volatility, and investor sen...

(5/9/22) The psychological pressure on investors created by inflation is very real, and makes folks prone to making mistakes. Inflation's interesting comparisons, April to April; Inflation numbers are not reflective of what we're actually living; Consumers' resort to credit card debt to pay bill. The metrics of inflation vs reality; the fallacy of a Fed "soft landing;" signs we are at or near infl...

(5/9/22) The psychological pressure on investors created by inflation is very real, and makes folks prone to making mistakes. Inflation's interesting comparisons, April to April; Inflation numbers are not reflective of what we're actually living; Consumers' resort to credit card debt to pay bill. The metrics of inflation vs reality; the fallacy of a Fed "soft landing;" signs we are at or near infl...

(5/9/22) Concerns over Fed speakers and Inflation numbers releases this week, as markets begin trading deep in the red; will we see inflation's peak--and with that, a softer stance by the Fed? Markets are starting the week down three standard-deviations from the 50-DMA. Professional, Retail, and Positioning sentiment are all quite pessimistic across the board; technical indicators are over-sold on...

(5/6/22) Despite all the gyrations on Wall Street this week, the S&P is still above Monday's close; just about the time you think you know what's going on, the market proves otherwise. There is no better time to create a financial plan; The Fed and Administration are truly tone-deaf to what the rest of America is dealing with; Why K-mart's clothes were really high-quality; dealing with drought...

(5/5/22) The Fed is raising rates by 50-basis-points, but tapering its balance sheet at a slower pace than expected, causing great jubilation on Wall Street, and a 3% rally after the announcement. The narrative the Fed feeds does not always comport with reality; how Jerome Powell "walks the line." Is the Fed looking at the economy in the right way? Economic data are telling a different story; is t...

(5/5/22) Jerome Powell's announced 50-basis-points rate hike was as expected--but the Fed added a dovish tone by slowing the rate of tapering on its balance sheet. With Professional and Retail investor sentiment at some of the lowest levels we've seen, and positioning very, very light in equities, the bit of good news was all Wall Street needed to stage a 3% rally, pushing up to resistance at the...

(5/4/22) Today's FOMC meeting will reveal what Jerome Powell & Co really think about the economy, and how the Federal Reserve intends to address inflation: Corporate earnings are decent, but forward guidance is sucky. What we mean when we say we're "taking profits;" how to adjust your portfolio strategy for risk, and why cash is king. Don't confuse narratives for returns: Indexes paint a diffe...

(5/4/22) Market futures are elevated following two days of volatility and a slow grinding higher; lots of trepidation on Wall St. as the Fed's FOMC meeting convenes today. What the Fed says--or does not say--will affect markets, and in turn, your money. Will the Fed announce a 50-basis-point hike in rates, and a tapering of its balance sheet starting in June--or--will they be more aggressive, hiki...

(5/3/22) The FOMC meets tomorrow, and while many are anxiously awaiting the Fed's pronouncements on Thursday, in reality, markets may have already "baked-in" its expected 50-basis point rate hike and $90-B balance sheet taper to begin in June. Dragons are real; How Investors are positioning for the rest of the summer; YouTube influencers and the end of bad advice; S&P earnings estimates contin...

(5/3/22) The next Fed meeting is tomorrow, at which the FOMC is expected to hike rates 50-basis points, and reduce its balance sheet by $90-Billion starting in June. But what if they don't? What if the Fed says it's raising rates by 75-basis points, and issues a much more hawkish view on inflation? That's the risk markets are facing as they try to position ahead of the meeting. With markets so neg...

(5/2/22) Will April's showers bring a flowering to the markets in May? Comparing 2021 to now--is a bigger bear market coming? (Anything the Fed says next can tilt markets one way or the other.) The potential for a short-term rally is likely; use it to rebalance risk in portfolios. Wall Street's golden plateau is "buy & sell;" the velocity of news can destroy market caps overnight; Warren Buffe...

(5/2/22) Markets are set to prove the April-to-May adage: Thunderstorms on Wall Street in April resulted in extremely negative investor sentiment. Markets are very over-sold, and positioning is very light--not surprising given market performance last month. Can markets go lower? Certainly. And we could see a bit of a short-term rally at this point, too, albeit with a lower high as the market conti...

(4/29/22) Turns out Inflation wasn't as "transitory" as some had hoped; the bigger question now is whether or not Inflation is structural. Ramifications of China's slowing economy. Robinhood has been "Friar Tucked." How to mitigate risk w life insurance; Housing Demographics & Affordability Index; buying vs renting; the "American Dream" vs homeownership reality. Coco the Robot; Retirement vs w...

(4/28/22) It's been a tough week for the markets; Facebook's earnings report showed lower revenues but heightened user counts; why a Facebook/Meta rally matters--and the opportunity it will afford investors. What the Atlanta Fed has in store in GDP report; how Russia will impact companies' forward guidance, effects on China. Inflation beginning to impact companies through reduced consumer spending...

(4/28/22) Facebook/Meta's report last night boasted increased users but diminished revenues, boosting its opening price to just about its 50-DMA. Despite the rally in the stock, there is still some concern: Over the past 9-months, Facebook has been down nearly 50% from its 52-week high. We're concerned whether this recent rally can stick. Why does this matter? Because Facebook is among those giant...