AI companies face a trust test, cost pressure is spreading, and the Fed’s blunt tool may not reach the real bottlenecks.

Small caps just got cheaper, energy still looks compelling, and defense stocks haven’t caught up to a wave of major contract wins.

Growth investing is often defined by outcomes. We believe it is better defined by process. Forward-looking insights, fundamental judgment, and disciplined portfolio construction can help investors pursue growth with a more deliberate approach to risk.

Is a home décor boom hiding inside the housing market freeze? Plus data center NIMBYs creating an opening for new winners in the AI trade, and slimming corporate margins.

Are consumers becoming more tolerant of roaches, or simply less tolerant of rising costs (even for pest control)? Plus, hunting for the next leg of AI winners.

As the market broadens beyond the AI trade, shifting Fed signals and lofty earnings expectations demand more active judgment.

Low-volatility stocks look cheap, AI may be helping hiring, and banks are turning higher rates into a tailwind.

The Trump administration is taking stakes in chip, defense, quantum, and rare earth companies that align with policy priorities.

Lower income households are getting a raise, increasing capex estimates signal confidence, and small businesses are catching up in their use of AI.

Jim Lydotes flips the timer on a retail energy deal, thinner consumer cushions, and how index rebalancing shows why investors should look beneath the market surface.