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It was a mostly quiet week for the market, which isn’t terribly surprising as traders have moved past the Federal Reserve event and inch towards the election. By week’s end the S&P 500 had gained 0.4%, the Dow had rallied 0.5% and the Nasdaq had fallen 0.55%.

It was a mostly quiet week for the market, which isn’t terribly surprising as traders have moved past the Federal Reserve event and inch towards the election. By week’s end the S&P 500 had gained 0.4%, the Dow had rallied 0.5% and the Nasdaq had fallen 0.55%.

It was a mostly quiet week for the market, which isn’t terribly surprising as traders have moved past the Federal Reserve event and have turned their attention toward the election. By week’s end the S&P 500 had gained 0.4%, the Dow had rallied 0.5% and the Nasdaq had fallen 0.55%

The market is wrapping up another good month and quarter. The S&P posted strong gains in September, after three straight winning weeks in a row, following a rough first week. The index is also up nicely for the third quarter and near the all-time high with a better than 20% gain year-to-date.

The latest upward leg is being driven by cooling inflation, falling interest rates, and a still-resilient economy. We’re getting the rate cuts without the economic pain and an expected soft landing. What’s not to like?

The market remains positive, but not powerful, with a lot of growth stocks and especially growth indexes and funds still batting with months-old resistance. Big picture, we think the next major move is up and a lot of the leadership of any coming run has already declared itself; indeed, we think we own some of the best names out there. But we’re not pushing the envelope here, as the market continues to deal with uncertainties (including this week’s Middle East tensions and dockworkers strike). We have no changes again tonight, though we’re staying flexible and are looking to add exposure as opportunities arise.

Warren Buffett has been a vocal backer of one U.S. energy stock, and despite the sector’s underperformance this year, he’s been buying more.

The stock market is strong and headed upward. This is not a time to sit out.

At the end of August, the cannabis sector had its worst week in years, but the fundamentals paint a much brighter picture.

Small caps have bounced around this week, taking a break from the rally that began on September 11 and continued through the 19^th.

Behind the scenes, analysts have been increasing their earnings expectations for the asset class. This is largely because rates are falling, but also because the economy is holding up.

Low-beta stocks move less than the market and can help soften volatility’s impact on your portfolio. Here’s how to find them.

The market is hot stuff again. The S&P made a new high this week after making up all the early September losses and then some. It is the 40^th record close for the index, which is now up 20% YTD with another quarter left.

It’s been a quieter but mostly positive week, with most major indexes up in the 0.5% to 1.5% range, though much of the broad market was relatively flat.

WHAT TO DO NOW: Remain optimistic, but pick your spots. The evidence remains more good than bad, and many growth stocks are acting well—that said, the flies in the ointment we’ve repeatedly mentioned are still hanging around and, near term, many stocks are extended to the upside. We’re still leaning bullish, but tonight we’re going to stand pat, holding what we have and seeing how the market and stocks behave in the days ahead. Our cash position remains in the neighborhood of 30%.

In today’s note, we discuss the recent developments concerning Tyson Foods (TSN) and Alibaba Group Holding (BABA), with a particular emphasis on exit strategies for both stocks.

It’s a billion-dollar question that’s been in analysts’ minds, but Nvidia’s earnings brought it to the forefront: Who’s actually making money with AI?

The “rational” optimist should seek areas of outsized upside potential and lower downside risk, two hallmarks of China and the emerging markets.

Inflation has been a major talking point, if not a thorn in the market’s side, for over three years now. But it’s been tamed, and the future looks bright.