Mark Reeth

1 month ago | brewmarkets.com | Mark Reeth

How do you measure investor sentiment? With the volatility index? By counting the number of Wall Street analysts crying in bathroom stalls on any given day? Last Friday, we wrote that sentiment stinks because…well, it does. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey sank to 57.9, its lowest reading since November 2022, while the latest AAII Investor Sentiment Survey showed that 59.2% of individual investors feel bearish about markets over the next 6 months.

Jun 12, 2024 | morningbrew.com | Mark Reeth

Much has been made of today’s high market concentration, where the largest stocks by market capitalization have only continued to grow larger, and now dramatically outweigh their smaller peers on cap-weighted indexes like the S&P 500. Analysts worry that a big focus on such a small group of stocks like the Magnificent 7 primes the market for a downturn if any of those top dogs should stumble.

May 24, 2024 | morningbrew.com | Mark Reeth

Summer is upon us, which means most investors are turning their attention away from FOMC minutes and earnings reports, and toward vacations and destinations. But some on Wall Street see an opportunity ahead to capitalize on seasonal trends—particularly travel. Summer travel depends largely on the strength of consumers. After all, if would-be travelers are too budget-constricted, they won’t splurge on journeying to exotic destinations.

May 22, 2024 | morningbrew.com | Mark Reeth

The bulls are running rampant as indexes hit new high after new high, dragging Wall Street analysts along with them. The last few weeks have seen some of the best-known pros revise their end-of-year price targets higher as we hit the halfway point of 2024, and who can blame them? No one wants to seem like a stick in the mud when the rest of the market is buying into rate cut hopes and AI fever.

May 21, 2024 | morningbrew.com | Mark Reeth

Everyone wants good food at a reasonable price, but these days it’s difficult to have your cake and eat it, too. Unless, of course, you’re a fast-casual restaurant. Once thought of as a healthier yet more expensive alternative to fast food, fast casual is flipping the script. Inflation has forced once-cheap eateries like McDonald’s to raise prices, while pressure from major markets like California, which recently raised the minimum wage, have sent prices skyward.