Driving the Market: Lessons from a U-Haul
Next week, my son is moving for school and work. The good news? We actually like our sons—most of the time—and he’s moving closer to us. The bad news? I get to drive six hours and help him move heavy furniture. When he said, “I think I’ll just rent a U-Haul and load everything up,”…
Why Factories Are Eating Inflation (And What It Means For Your Trades)
Manufacturing PMI just hit 53. Services PMI climbed too. Both above 50. Both showing expansion and growth. Sounds bullish, right? Here's what the numbers aren't telling you... Factories are getting squeezed. Hard. Input prices are rising faster than output prices. That means manufacturers are eating inflation instead of passing it through to consumers. They're literally…
How Four Words Made Me Rethink Everything
"I'll run with you." The second those words came out of my mouth, I knew I was screwed. My dad's face lit up, and I realized there was no backing out of this one. Here's the situation: My dad turns 80 in ten days. When he hit 70, he celebrated by running a 10K. Now…
FedWatch says 90%. My math says 58%.
FedWatch shows 90% odds of a rate cut next month. My math says 58%. That 32-point gap is about to make someone very rich -- and crush everyone betting on "easy money forever." Here's what everyone missed while celebrating that "cooling" CPI: PPI just spiked 0.9% -- the biggest jump since 2022. That's producers…
The Secret to a Long Marriage
Happy weekend, everyone. As many of you may have heard, my wife and I celebrated 29 years of marriage this week. Naturally, one of the questions we often get is: What’s the secret to a happy marriage? I can't speak for my wife, but I do have a few thoughts on what’s made our relationship…
How to Build a 10% Safety Net While Bonds Pay 4.23%
Hey there, it’s Blake Young. We’re in a market that wants you to chase risk. Tech is flat, consumer discretionary is negative, and everyone’s waiting for the next headline to move the needle. But let me ask you—are you looking for actual risk-free rates of return, or are you just hoping something sticks? Today, I’m…
Utilities Quietly Lead as Mega Caps Steal the Spotlight
What happens when the market cheers tech earnings blowouts while the broader tape weakens underneath? That’s the kind of disconnect we’ve got on our hands right now. This week has been filled with headline moves in giga-caps – Microsoft (MSFT), Meta (META), the whole lot – but when we zoom out and look at the…
Why “Dollar Strength” Is Financial Media BS: The Financial Media's Biggest Lie
Every financial headline screams about "dollar strength" like it's some mystical force. Here's the truth they won't tell you: there's no such thing as the dollar being strong on its own. It's financial media BS, and it's costing you money. The dollar doesn't flex in a vacuum. It's only strong relative to something else. Stronger…
Cash Is the New Alpha: The Biggest Contrarian Trade Right Now
Here's a question that'll make you uncomfortable: in a world where cash pays you 5%+ risk-free, why are you chasing assets that require growth and leverage just to break even? While everyone's hunting for the next 10-bagger, the smartest money is asking a different question: what if cash isn't trash anymore? The truth is there’s…
Why I Sell Where Everyone Else Buys
So here we are again, staring down another earnings week, and if you're anything like me, you're not just looking at numbers on a screen -- you're reading the rhythm, the breath of the market itself. Most traders chase the breakout. They see Tesla with a $24 expected move and start dreaming about catching lightning.…