Consumers are keeping the U.S. expansion alive. They just don’t have much of a safety net left.
Most investors follow the crowd, but contrarian investors look for signals that others miss. By studying market sentiment, positioning, and investor psychology, contrarians act when fear or greed reaches extremes. This tutorial explains how contrarian investing works, its challenges, and how legendary investors have built wealth by thinking differently.
The AI revolution is real—but so are the risks. From historic valuations and loss-making giants to debt-funded infrastructure and energy constraints, the foundations of the AI boom deserve closer scrutiny before optimism turns into complacency. Markets are already pricing in AI’s success. The question is whether the economy—and investors—are prepared for the consequences if reality falls short of the narrative.
The S&P 500 delivered strong 2025 returns, fueled by AI and resilient earnings, but fundamental analysis reveals a market at historically high valuations with negative risk premiums, record debt, and narrowing breadth. This report breaks down the core metrics, economic underpinnings, and sector dynamics every investor should understand.
Silver has emerged as the standout performer in global commodities this year, eclipsing even gold’s impressive rally as investors confront a world of shifting macro forces, rising industrial demand, and tightening physical supply. Trading near record highs over $79 an ounce, silver’s ascent has been fuelled by a persistent structural deficit, accelerating clean-energy investment, and renewed inflows into silver ETFs. With inventories at major exchanges thinning and price volatility intensifying, market participants are debating whether this rally marks the early stages of a longer-term revaluation — or a euphoric spike vulnerable to correction.
Netflix’s $72bn offer for Warner Bros ignited one of Hollywood’s biggest takeover battles in decades. When Paramount fired back with a hostile $108bn all-cash bid, the drama escalated into a test of strategy, regulatory appetite, and the future structure of global media. This article explains the offer specifics, the strategic logic behind each bid, the risks involved, the earlier suitors who explored deals, and the short-to-medium-term shifts now looming over the industry.
The scale and speed of accumulation of the U.S. government’s debt have crossed into territory many economists—and a growing number of investors—consider unsustainable. With borrowing increasing on multiple fronts, interest costs soaring, and signs that traditional buyers of U.S. debt may be pulling back, the fiscal foundations of the world’s largest economy look increasingly fragile. Below is a sober assessment of where things stand—and what the consequences could be if Washington does not act.
BRICS — representing nearly half the world’s population and over 40% of global GDP — is reshaping trade, finance, and global economic power. From local currency settlements to the New Development Bank and gold-backed financial initiatives, the bloc is forging a multipolar world and redefining the role of emerging economies in global commerce.
Everyone's worried about recession. The latest LEI data shows why 2008 parallels are overblown—but why the risks are still rising fast. This slowdown is different. Here's what it really means
Federal deficits and debt are projected to hit record levels from 2025 to 2035, with Social Security, Medicare, and rising interest costs driving growth. Even with steady economic expansion, revenue gains are unlikely to keep pace, putting households, businesses, and the U.S. economy on an unsustainable fiscal path.
The U.S. Leading Economic Index shows yellow light for growth, not red. Behind a modest dip in the Leading Economic Index lies a more unsettling story of weakening confidence, concentrated investment, and rising vulnerability to shocks. What looks stable on the surface may be far more fragile underneath.
For the Class of 2025, a bachelor’s degree no longer guarantees a smooth career start. Rising competition, AI-driven automation, and structural inequities mean many graduates face underemployment, wage gaps, and longer job searches. Practical experience, targeted skills, and lifelong learning are now essential to navigate today’s challenging labor market.
December 2025 payrolls show a cooling U.S. labor market, with modest job gains (+64,000), rising unemployment, and slowing wage growth. Strength in health care, construction, and social assistance contrasts with public sector cuts, while elevated underemployment signals continued labor underutilization.
ADP's -32k payroll drop flags small-firm fragility and cyclical softening, but defensive sectors buffer broader stability.
The October 2025 JOLTS report shows modest cooling in the U.S. labor market, with job openings at 7.7 million, hires at 5.1 million, quits at 2.9 million, and layoffs at 1.9 million. Month-to-month changes from September to October remain mostly within normal bounds, consistent with the BLS’s description of the figures as “little changed,” indicating gradual softening rather than a sharp downturn, while persistent openings highlight resilient underlying labor demand.
The latest BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) reveal shifting labor market dynamics, with healthcare and social assistance leading growth, while automation and offshoring reshape job security. This report provides actionable insights for economists, policymakers, and career decision-makers on employment, wages, and emerging trends across occupations and regions.
Homeowners can't move from their cheap loans. New buyers face huge payment shock. This 'lock-in' keeps prices high even though sales are low. This article explains how high rates and low supply are changing who can buy a home—and what it means for everyone's wallet in 2026.
U.S. home prices are cooling, not collapsing: Case-Shiller data show modest gains nationally, but high-value metro markets are feeling the pinch from rising mortgage rates and inflation. Regional divides are widening, creating negotiating opportunities for buyers while highlighting ongoing affordability challenges.
The U.S. housing market is at a pivotal moment. Rising home prices, elevated mortgage rates, constrained supply, and shifting demographics have combined to create a challenging environment, particularly for first-time buyers and younger generations. To understand the full picture, it is essential to examine current affordability metrics, regional dynamics, historical context, generational impacts, economic fundamentals, and policy implications.
U.S. home prices are moderating in late 2025, with mid-tier markets holding steady while high-cost Sun Belt and Pacific metros soften. Elevated mortgage rates, rising inflation, and tight supply are driving slower growth and subdued transaction activity, creating both stability and selective opportunities for buyers in cooling regions.
Consumers are keeping the U.S. expansion alive. They just don’t have much of a safety net left.
U.S. household debt has hit a record $18.6 trillion, but each debt category is telling a different story. Mortgage borrowers look solid, student loan delinquencies are surging, and subprime auto credit is flashing its strongest warning in decades. For anyone tracking the economy, these divergent signals matter.
Buy Now Pay Later drove record holiday online spending, enabling consumers to buy higher-value items while managing cash flow, but heavy reliance on deferred payments suggests this surge reflects short-term financial manoeuvring rather than stronger underlying demand.
U.S. holiday spending rose in 2025, according to Visa and NRF data, but inflation, discount-driven shopping, and signs of consumer stress shaped how — and where — Americans spent their money.
BYD has overtaken Tesla in Europe, marking a turning point in the global EV race as BYD’s volume-driven, vertically integrated model outpaces Tesla’s software-led strategy. While BYD leverages in-house battery production and aggressive pricing to gain market share, Tesla’s focus on premium BEVs and proprietary technologies faces margin pressure and stiffening competition. BYD’s global expansion, supported by massive new factories and a vast workforce, contrasts with Tesla’s targeted giga-factory rollout and innovation-centric culture. Political headwinds such as EU tariffs and waning subsidies further complicate each company’s path, underlining their contrasting approaches to risk and scale. As battle lines shift from technology to manufacturing muscle, the EV industry’s future will likely hinge on who best fuses cost-control, supply chain mastery, and breakthrough innovation.