Inside The Stock Market ...trends, cross-currents, and outlook
High Hopes
Growth’s P/E gap between trailing and forward EPS is over 10 points—historically high and challenging the 1999 peak. One’s opinion about Growth depends heavily on whether they are looking backward or forward in their P/E calculations.
Artificial Simplicity
Several leading AI models were engaged to generate personalized investment advice meant to meet the suitability standards required of professional advisors; their results were underwhelming, and yet, enlightening.
Betting With Other People’s Money
The decision to lever up reflects the convergence of several behavioral finance hot buttons; today’s 54% absolute margin debt growth, and 26% excess margin debt growth over the last 12 months both exceed the historical trigger points.
Mr. Graham, Meet Mr. Asimov
What is the link between these two intellectual giants who essentially pioneered their respective fields? The recent S-1 filing by SpaceX in support of its IPO is our connection between these two world views.
Memory Reset
Micron Technology has been the quintessential boom-bust cyclical over most of its history, tracing out a gross margin path that would put to shame any industrial-age steel or chemical company. However, the trillions of dollars being spent on datacenters have put Micron in the catbird’s seat, generating an 85% gross margin in its most recent quarter.
BDC Marks Hang Tough
Q1 book value changes across most BDCs were modest, implying that the sell-off was driven more by perceived fear than actual erosion in credit quality or loan value. Yet, major BDCs still trade at levels that can be interpreted as genuine discomfort over credit concerns.
Riding The Revisions Wave
Wall Street estimates show first-quarter earnings soaring an amazing 27% over 2025’s opener. Just as striking was the extent to which estimates were revised upward as the quarter unfolded.
The Tree Obscuring The Forest
AI-infrastructure outlays stand like a Giant Sequoia in the dense forest of economic activity; the accelerated buildout is masking softer conditions across the rest of the economy. Figures for S&P 500 capex and GDP growth are being distorted by a narrow group of AI beneficiaries.
A Wall Street Anniversary
The Dow Jones Industrial Average debuted on May 26, 1896, when Charles Dow summed the prices of a dozen industrial companies and divided by 12.
Happy Accidents And Lucky Charms
If AI is the darling of Wall Street, major packaged food brands may be the most hated theme of the day. Record-low EPS growth, record-low LTG rates, record-low P/E multiples, and record-low relative prices are priming this group for a classic contrarian opportunity.
Flying On One Engine
In May, “Flight S&P 500” covered an amazing chunk of miles flying on just one engine: Info Tech’s tremendous 16% gain, which overshadowed pervasive losses in eight of the other ten sectors. Semiconductors and tech hardware accounted for three-quarters of the index’s upside in May. YTD, over one-tenth of the SPX gain is attributable solely to Micron (more than any other firm).
Reality Check
The greatest investment risk from the trillions of dollars betting on AI is that overbuilding will lead to excess capacity with competition driving pricing toward marginal costs. Many players are tossing their hats into the ring, but new-era spending booms often end with just a few dominant firms.
Getting Paid To Be Afraid
Elevated VIX readings capture the early stages of major bear markets, where anxiety was often justified by subsequent larger declines. Investors should treat VIX readings in the 20-30 range as a transition zone—it is the most dangerous area for premature entry, as it captures both recoveries and the early stages of major bear markets.
The NewBird Of Happiness
In a strategic pivot, Allbirds, Inc. withdrew from the footwear trade to redeploy assets into an AI data center rental business. Its stock jumped 582% within three days. The notion of a “582% blip” prompted us to further explore the phenomenon of lottery stocks and the behavioral-finance research into investors’ appetite for lottery-like payoffs.
Streak Smarts
April market action delivered two rare events: a 13-day winning streak in the NASDAQ and a +12% month in the S&P 500 (trough to peak). Both have historically pointed toward strong forward returns. And yet they could not be more different in how they get there.
Conditionally Contrarian
Sentiment is generally a contrarian indicator, i.e., extreme optimism foretells lower future returns and vice versa. Yet, there are backdrops in which enthusiastic sentiment coexists with ongoing equity gains.
Cap And Trap
Private credit has dominated headlines for all the wrong reasons, devastating alternative asset managers linked to that space. When we see a group of stocks with 30%+ losses in a matter of months, our contrarian “Spidey-Sense” starts to tingle, and we begin to wonder if a bargain is in the making.
The Price Of Fear
The evolution of BDC asset values may shed new light on how much of the bear market in alternative asset management stocks is due to genuine economic risk and how much is fueled by an over-reaction to the software and redemption scare.
Everyday High Prices
Walmart’s performance and expanding P/E ratio contradicts the Staples sector’s less dynamic results, so either Walmart is commanding a growth premium, or investors are applying different valuation standards across the sector. Either way, count us as skeptical.
Bobbing For AAPL
There’s been a major return benefit for selling AAPL when it hits a 7% SPX weight and repurchasing after reverting back to a 6% weight. We tracked three options to switch into after a 7% “sell” trigger, holding till a new buy is flagged, and each crushed the approach of holding AAPL through the rotation.