Insights

The market pullback will take time to play out. Planning for an eventual shift to defense beats a “hope for the best” approach.

Four unresolved issues related to the selloff stand to hold sway over stocks. More volatility is likely, and we favor a defensive tilt in equity portfolios, focusing on high-quality shares that can better withstand further economic deterioration.

As expected, the Fed held off on a rate cut this week. But as policymakers await more economic data before a likely September rate cut, the data may already be signaling the central bank is too late.

RBC’s AI software analyst enthusiastically talks about how GenAI has leapfrogged traditional AI tools and tells us what excites him about the technology today and its future potential.

Relative comfort on inflation should allow the Fed to shift its focus to the goal of full employment. But with labor market data pointing in different directions, we sift through the mixed messages and the impact on the Fed’s rate cut plans.

While mega-cap tech stocks have dominated U.S. equity performance so far this year, recently the rest of the market has been trying to take the baton. We discuss the main factors needed to make a clean handoff.

While AI and the Magnificent 7 have been exceedingly visible in their leadership, we spotlight two other trends with a clear impact on portfolio performance and how to approach U.S. equities as the economic environment inevitably evolves.

Atul Bhatia and Tylar Lunke from the Portfolio Advisory Group discuss how to think about the role of government borrowing in the U.S. economy and the potential catalysts and impact of any shift toward U.S. fiscal balance.

The federal government’s debt has doubled since 2015 – and shows no signs of turning around.

The U.S. stock market rally continues to outdo itself. But several factors make for a more nuanced narrative. We assess the backdrop framing the rally and how to position equity portfolios.