S&P 500 Annual vs. Intra-Year Returns Most years, the S&P 500 gives up 5% to 10%. With March’s double-digit drop already in the books, the next move lower may be more modest. Back-to-back big drawdowns don’t happen often. Image: Real Investment Advice
New S&P 500 Index All-Time Highs Per Year The S&P 500 has reached 25 record highs this year. In robust bull markets, new highs usually come in clusters and last longer than the crowd expects, as long as earnings and growth stay on track. Image: Carson Investment Research
Large Cap MCG & Tech Positioning vs. Earnings Revisions Large-cap tech companies have seen upward earnings revisions, but positioning remains only modestly overweight at the 54th percentile. That gap to fundamentals leaves some air for a catch-up trade. Image: Deutsche Bank Asset Allocation
CTAs Exposure to the U.S. Dollar The latest pullback has barely dented CTA appetite for the U.S. dollar, with positioning sitting at the 93rd percentile. Image: Deutsche Bank Asset Allocation
Average Daily Equity ETF Flows Equity ETF flows are averaging about $3 billion a day in September, less than half the pace we saw earlier this summer. Recent data have been noisy, but the broader trend is clearly lower. Image: Strategas Asset Management
Central Bank Gold Demand in Real USD Central banks are still the backbone of gold’s bull market. Deutsche Bank remains bullish, calling the metal’s “explosive phase” intact, with targets of $4,700 an ounce by year-end, $5,100 in 2027 and $5,442 in 2028. Image: Deutsche Bank
Margin Debt and Net Investor Credit Balance NYSE margin debt just blew past $1.5 trillion. Investors are piling into leverage with both hands, leaving little room for error. The market has gotten riskier, more fragile, but that doesn’t mean a crash is guaranteed. Image: Real Investment Advice
Gold Price Forecast Gold’s rally still has central banks at its back. Deutsche Bank remains bullish on the metal, putting fair value at about $4,700 an ounce by year-end, then $5,100 in 2027 and $5,442 in 2028. Image: Deutsche Bank
S&P 500 YoY EPS Growth The median S&P 500 company is set to deliver 12% EPS growth in Q2 2026, well short of the 26% surge forecast for the aggregate index. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
Risky vs. Safe Assets Fund Flows As confidence returns, cash is pouring into risk assets while safer funds sit on the sidelines, pointing to a robust appetite for higher-return bets. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research
U.S. High Yield Credit Spreads vs. VIX High-yield spreads are pricing in a smooth ride. Spreads are tight, balance sheets look solid, and the risk is that confidence slips into complacency. Active monitoring helps catch early signs of stress.Image: Topdown Charts