We’re intrigued that Industrials was the first broad sector to eclipse its pre-correction high, and is still the only one to accomplished that. A market technician might argue that the divergent strength in such an economically sensitive segment is a bullish portent for the economy and stock market—but history doesn’t support that view.

Since the low in Oct. 2022, SPX is up 66%—typical for a bull market of this age; however, the broad-market stampede distinguishing a youthful bull never happened. Yet, those four years of futility were not in vain—the valuation profile for the average stock has improved markedly.

There have been wild gyrations in the S&P 500 Cyclical/Defensive Ratio over the last year against a backdrop of historically high Cyclical valuation premiums. In other words, there’s no recession bet priced into the equity segments that should most reflect it.

Net income soared almost 24%, with each step in our earnings growth waterfall registering in the green. Pretax margin expansion contributed 9.2%; however, this last step of the waterfall is always influenced by unusual items—and Q1 saw an abnormally positive impact from lower write-offs.

Developed due to the growing interest in private debt and equity, these vehicles offer a degree of liquidity and transparency within a regulated, standardized fund format. While fees and expenses are lofty versus OEFs and ETFs, interval funds’ relatively high current income may be very appealing to some.

Growth quickly U-turned and led the market higher over the last two months, while low volatility stocks have been discarded. Momentum has weathered the volatility well so far—especially within small caps.

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The S&P 500’s estimated bottom-up operating EPS for Q1 lost altitude during the second month of reporting. (Chart 1). That resumes the rounded downslope of estimated EPS erosion for the quarter that seems foreign (though normal) after the resiliency of the 2024 data. The next three quarters of 2025—periods that will be affected by the trade war—continued their post tariff decline. The waning projections still have the index inline for 10% YOY EPS growth. At this point in the game, 5% growth is probably a stretch.

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As tactical investors and market historians, we are intrigued by the long cycles of market leadership, always curious to understand what drives these seismic shifts.  One idea that continually pops up in our studies is the notion that bear markets frequently tend to produce changes in asset class superiority.  This study examines the relative performance of three pairs of major asset classes: small vs. large, value vs. growth, and international vs. domestic.  The historical record seems to corroborate our intuitive thesis that bear markets and asset class leadership rotations are connected, either due to changes in fundamentals or market psychology.

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April’s cooler than expected CPI figures continued the recent trend of soft readings—welcome news to the Fed. Tariff related price spikes were not pervasive in the first few weeks of the shifting trade policy landscape.

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In exploring how cross-asset behavior differs between recessionary and non-recessionary market selloffs, a more striking conclusion emerged: The presence of a Fed put—or the absence there of—looks to be the more powerful force in shaping market dynamics across assets.

While the stock market has reversed about half of its February–April decline, the risk of a self-fulfilling confidence collapse remains elevated. In April, the Conference Board’s Consumer Expectations Index dropped to a level that’s been observed only once outside of a recession (mid-2011).

A Zweig Breadth Thrust (triggered in late April), has historically been a boost for the seasonal market doldrums common from May through October, with stock gains much higher during that period than in the absence of a ZBT. Maybe that explains why the “Sell In May” phenomenon hasn’t received the usual attention this year.

Out of necessity, bear market rallies and the first leg of a new advance look nearly identical; if they didn’t, the game would be too easy. However, the action (or lack of it) within the most economically sensitive groups would seem to support our bearish take. 

Our research shows that weaker equity markets are favorable for active managers, and this quarter’s overall success rate of 57% is consistent with that expectation. Active managers outperformed in six of nine style boxes, led by an excellent 82% win rate for small-blend managers and a 74% success rate in large value.

Today’s disproportionate outflow from gold miners even as physical gold continues to attract new money, is the proverbial “canary in the mine” that serves as a warning of looming trouble. When the miners are bleeding assets, investors may wish to take precautions against the impending risk of lower gold prices.

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