
Michael Howell’s 2026 Outlook: Why This Year Looks Increasingly Hostile for Risk Assets
As we move deeper into 2026, the dominant market narrative remains deceptively simple: the economy looks solid, corporate earnings are

As we move deeper into 2026, the dominant market narrative remains deceptively simple: the economy looks solid, corporate earnings are

The Federal Reserve delivered what markets expected on the surface: a 25-basis-point rate cut. But beneath that headline lies a

Another week, another round of volatility that reminds us how fundamentally dislocated U.S. financial markets remain. The combination of confused

Another week, another round of volatility that left even the most risk-tolerant corners of global markets looking shaky. Stocks have

The market went into last week expecting autopilot from the Federal Reserve. Pricing in the options markets said as much:

There’s a temptation to treat every regional banking headline as an isolated case — another “bad apple,” another “fraud,” another

Financial markets always seem to hover between two competing narratives: one of rational, fundamentals-driven efficiency, and the other of speculative

For decades, policymakers, economists, and the media have repeated a simple narrative: when mortgage rates fall, housing demand rises; when

Introduction: From Random Noise to Clear Signals Once is maybe. Twice could be coincidence. But four months in a row

On the heels of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s much-anticipated speech at Jackson Hole, markets responded with exuberance. Investors cheered