Category: Blog

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

Valuations – S&P 500 12-Month Fwd P/E Multiple – Top 5 Largest Stocks vs. Other 495 Stocks After nearly a decade of commanding sky-high multiples, the five largest U.S. stocks have lost their valuation premium, with average P/Es barely above the rest of the S&P 500. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research

Proportion of S&P 500 Beating Earnings Estimate There’s no sign of cracks in earnings momentum. Almost 88% of S&P 500 companies are beating earnings estimates, with the beat rate running well ahead of the 74% long-term average. Image: Deutsche Bank Asset Allocation

Consensus Forward 12-Month S&P 500 EPS Equal-weight S&P 500 prices and EPS have risen steadily together. Earnings are still doing the heavy lifting, but the gains are uneven and increasingly concentrated in a handful of companies and sectors. Image: Goldman Sachs Global Investment Research