Gold vs. 30-Year U.S. Treasury Bond Gold is increasingly being positioned as an alternative to U.S. Treasury bonds. Image: Deutsche Bank

ISABELNET Cartoon of the Day The S&P 500 took a 1.50% dip this week, but bears are open to talks if bulls show respect! Happy Easter Weekend, Everyone! 🐰😎

U.S. New Private Housing Units Authorized by Building Permits and Recessions In March, building permits in the U.S. rose to 1.482 million, exceeding expectations. Historically, they tend to peak and then decline before economic recessions.…

Notional Volume Traded in Listed U.S. Equity Options Thanks to strong participation from both retail and institutional investors, U.S. equity options are seeing rising average daily trading volumes—a trend that shows no signs of slowing…

S&P 500 and Liquidity Increased aggregate U.S. liquidity generally acts as a tailwind for the U.S. stock market, potentially boosting equity prices. However, the Fed Liquidity Index currently shows the opposite dynamic. Image: Real Investment…

VIX Buy Signals After VIX surges, the S&P 500 rose in 85% of instances over the next few months—but not during recessions. Image: J.P. Morgan

S&P 500 Death Cross The Death Cross in the S&P 500 is seen as a lagging indicator and doesn’t always signal further losses. Often, it marks a reversal, with the index frequently delivering above-average returns…

ISABELNET Cartoon of the Day U.S. tariff policy is causing substantial harm on both the American brand and the broader economy. Rising costs, declining foreign tourism, and boycotts of American products are set to cost…

U.S. Stocks Relative to Bonds Over the past nine months, U.S. stocks have shown remarkable resilience compared to bonds, reflecting a persistent “risk-on” sentiment in markets despite increased volatility and macroeconomic challenges. Image: Bloomberg

Policy Uncertainty Index vs. S&P 500 Index While periods of policy uncertainty can create temporary disruptions, they are often short-lived, with spikes frequently occurring near market lows. Image: Real Investment Advice

S&P 500 and VIX Above 50 The VIX rose above 60 during the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 COVID-19 crash. In both cases, the stock market had already bottomed before the VIX dropped below…