From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts PLUS Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of  binary decisions, tactical calls and asset allocation models. 

Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard and our Playbook Chartbook, this piece is designed to help dynamic asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

The trend in commodities has rolled over but, for the 96th week in a row, the up-trend in commodities relative to stocks remains intact. You need to go back to the early 70’s to see a longer sustained period of strength in commodities versus stocks. 

Why It Matters: For some, commodities are the forgotten step-child of asset allocation discussions. This is especially the case for those with a narrow frame of reference and a lack of historical perspective. Prior to the current trend favoring...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts PLUS Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of  binary decisions, tactical calls and asset allocation models. 

Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard and our Playbook Chartbook, this piece is designed to help dynamic asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

The Fed announced another 75 basis point rate hike yesterday. The upper range of the Fed Funds rate began the year at 0.25% and is now 4.00%, the highest level since early 2008. In his post-FOMC press conference, Fed Chair Powell made clear that the Fed is not finished raising rates.

Why It Matters: As the prospects of rate hikes materialized earlier this year, there were plenty of assurances that stocks do well when the Fed is raising rates. These perspectives failed to distinguish...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard and our Playbook Chartbook, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

The S&P 500 just narrowly avoided finishing Q3 with the first back-to-back-to-back 3%+ weekly declines since 2009. It followed that up with the first back-to-back 2.5%+ gains since December 2008 to start Q4. Volatility isn’t showing up in the VIX but it is apparent in the daily and weekly price action.

Why It Matters: There is an inverse relationship between market volatility (as measured by big daily swings, in either direction) and market strength (as measured by new highs > new lows). In the past quarter...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard and our Playbook Chartbook, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

In Focus for September: That there is little appetite for risk among investors has been evident all year. Despite bounces in March and May and even during the rally from mid-June to mid-August, our longer-term risk indicator has remained in the Risk Off zone. The challenge from an asset allocation perspective is that while Risk Off assets have been generally stronger than Risk On assets, there is not a lot of strength there on an absolute basis. Our Risk Off - Risk On Range-O-Meter captures this. That the components of our US Risk On Index (shown below in green) have weakened and are nearing their 52-week lows probably comes as no surprise. While...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard and our Playbook Chartbook, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

In Focus for August: July brought some relief for investors in diversified portfolios but 2022 has still been a forgettable year in many regards. From an equity market perspective, it’s been a year heavy on volatility and light on strength (more like 2008 than 2017). Bonds haven’t fared much better. Yields are off their highs, but the trend continues to experience one of its most persistent increases in the past 4 decades. It is the persistence of these trends that might be most challenging for investors in the current environment. Bouts of market volatility in recent years, even when they have been severe (like during the COVID lockdowns), have...

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard and our Playbook Chartbook, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

In Focus for June: We are still waiting for the evidence that the bear market in equities has run its course and a new bull market is being reborn. While the short-term risk environment has improved slightly over the last week or so, the overall environment tilts more toward risk than opportunity and our longer-term risk indicator is still in risk off territory.

Enduring a downtrend is not a prerequisite for participating in the ensuing uptrend. We will practice patience in the batter’s box until the market delivers fatter pitches on a more consistent basis.

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From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

In Focus for May: The first four months of 2022 have been a trying time for many investors. But while stocks have experienced their worst start a year since before the S&P index was expanded from 90 stocks to 500 stocks, the decline in the index has actually been a relatively normal correction. It’s premature to suggest that the lows are in, but the 13% decline in the S&P 500 from its peak is in line with the median experience of the last 9 times (dating back to the late 90’s) that the S&P 500 experienced a decline of 10% - 20% (less than 10% isn’t considered a correction, declines of more than 20% usually get characterized as bear markets).

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From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.

From the desk of Willie Delwiche.

This All Star Charts +Plus Monthly Playbook breaks down the investment universe into a series of largely binary decisions and tactical calls. Paired with our Weight of the Evidence Dashboard, this piece is designed to help active asset allocators follow trends, pursue opportunities, and manage risk.