The Weekly Insight

The four most dangerous words in the world of finance are, “This time it’s different.” We’ve heard it time and again. And time and again it’s not true. So when we start hearing that higher P/E ratios for the market are the “new normal”, we’re understandably skeptical. But we can’t just ignore the data behind it. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-this-time-its-differ...

We know we’re not breaking any news when we tell you Chairman Powell and the Fed cut rates last week. The long-anticipated cut was received very well by markets which closed the week at all-time highs on Friday. It’s the next logical leap the market has taken – that this is the start of a prolonged period of rate cuts – which may be a bit farfetched. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/...

The Fed is meeting this week and expected to cut rates. In the media’s calculus this should be good for markets. But it wasn’t particularly good the last time they cut rates. So what happens if the market pulls back? Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-the-two-types-of-corrections/

The markets brought us a little bit of everything last week, but ended on a positive note. As fast as the news cycle moves, it seems most had forgotten by Tuesday that there was a very big court decision on tariffs the previous Friday. This week, we take a dive into that ruling to see what we can learn about the future of trade policy and how it may impact markets. Read more here: https://insightw...

Jerome Powell’s annual address in Jackson Hole has become must-see TV for market watchers in recent years. In 2022, he used it to sternly put the market back in its place on rate expectations. Since then, it has been looked upon with a mix of optimism and trepidation. His last Jackson Hole speech – last Friday – was no different. But this isn’t 2022. Instead, he presented a cautiously dovish case....

The big news in the markets last week was the CPI data. It was a bit of a mixed report. If you were looking for good news, it was there. The same goes for bad news. But the report we found more interesting last week was that of CPI’s long lost cousin: PPI. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-cpis-oft-forgotten-cousin/

As the financial world obsesses about tariffs, we got to thinking about who these tariffs might impact: consumers. As regular readers of our memos know, the U.S. consumer is a powerful economic force. Consumer spending makes up nearly 70% of GDP. So as tariffs begin to be implemented, how well is the U.S. consumer prepared? Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-the-stat...

The story of 2025 has been tariffs. And yet, despite a significant market correction in April, markets have recovered nicely. But the tariff discussion isn’t over yet. They are happening. And there is no question they will have some level of impact on the economy. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-wheres-the-impact-of-tariffs/

In politics, they frequently refer to the 24-hour news cycle. The flood of information it creates presents opportunities – and hazards – for candidates. The same cycle exists for the market. And right now, we’re in the midst of a nice swell of “good news”. But what could be the catalyst to change that? Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-the-24-hour-market-cycle/

The White House came out firing on tariffs last week. New tariffs were announced for the E.U., Mexico, Canada and a number of other countries. But the response from Wall Street was very different from the last time we did this. Instead of the pullback we saw on Liberation Day, markets were largely flat for the week. So what gives? Why the different response? And what does this mean for your portfo...

While the Nation was celebrating our 249th birthday over the weekend, Republicans in Congress were busy passing President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill”. It is, as the name implies, BIG! At 897 pages, we haven’t read it all (yet). But we did dive into it over the weekend to better understand the big issues that will impact you.  Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-o...

Well, that wasn’t the week anyone expected, was it? The U.S. bombs Iran and oil prices…go down? It’s a good reminder that there is no crystal ball to predict the market’s future. But there are some things we can bet on that have staying power. And one is the strength of the United States economy. In this edition of the Weekly Insight, we look back at Warren Buffett’s comments from a few years ago...

The weekend was full of geopolitical drama. As you likely know by now, the United States struck Iran in an effort to eliminate their nuclear program. That leaves two important questions: What does this mean for the economy and markets? How are portfolios at Insight positioned for any potential troubles? Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-1973-redux/

All you have to do today is turn on a TV, or open a website, or listen to a podcast and you will be flooded with folks absolutely certain about their latest read on the market and the economy. Inflation is coming! The market is crashing! You know what we’re talking about. But the problem is the study of economics never offers those certainties – even if they play well in our hot take society.  Rea...

This is a weird time for markets. To some degree, it seems like there is so much going on. The volume is cranked to a 10. One needs only look at last week’s spat between two very powerful men which lead the market to be off by nearly 1% in a day. But do those moments really matter ? We’d argue they don’t in the long run. But we’re going to have to be patient for the big items that are going to mov...

As May wrapped up last week, the financial world was touting the month as the best performing May since 1990. That’s great news! But it’s also an artifact of timing. If you stretch the window you’re measuring out to the beginning of the year, things don’t look as good. The market is essentially flat. But we take a longer view on portfolio health than a week, a month, or a year. We’re working to bu...

Last week started with the big news that the U.S. and China had agreed to a temporary reduction in tariffs. The market rallied and ended the week up more than 5%. But, as much as the market would love to assume we can move on to the next conversation, there is much yet to be determined regarding trade policy. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-far-from-completed-agre...

Last week was Fed week which is always must-see TV at Insight (whether we like it or not). Unlike the last few years, this meeting was largely without market drama. But it did leave us with some interesting tidbits to understand the interplay between the Fed – holding dry powder for a potential recession – and the ongoing discussion on tariffs. What did we learn? The Fed still thinks the economy i...

Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-choose-your-own-economy/

The volume today around the markets and the state of the world is at a “10”. You can go to any news source you want and you’ll find some version of “The sky is falling!” or “The world is ending!” sentiment. But here’s the thing: the world hasn’t ended yet and – as pointed out by famed investor Howard Marks – the planning necessary to avoid the pain when the world ends is 1) impossible; and 2) woul...

If you’ve been paying attention to our commentary over the years, you know we believe strongly that there are some “big things” in the world that must be understood to be a successful investor.  Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-three-big-things-tariffs/

We all survived yet another week of wild swings in the market. Today (so far!), they’re the good kind. Last week, it was a bit of both. And while we could continue to retread the ground covered in-depth on tariff policy, we thought we’d go a different direction. This week we wanted to dive into the psychology of the markets – specifically the psychology of loss – and address why you’re not well su...

The topic of these week’s memo and podcast won’t surprise you: tariffs. And it would probably be good business to tell you we have all the answers for what the market is going to do in response over the coming weeks. The truth is this: no one has those answers. But we do know how we need to respond, because history has taught us this lesson before. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/th...

The market is awaiting President Trump’s “Liberation Day” decisions on tariffs this week. But to assume this is the end of the discussion – or the end of the volatility – is likely folly.  Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-liberation-day/

Transitory. Powell uttered that word again. The last time he did so, it didn’t work out too well. But while tariff driven inflation is not yet a thing, we do know one thing that’s transitory: market downturns. Which is why we made some changes in our portfolios last week. Read more here: https://insightwealthgroup.com/the-weekly-insight-transitory/