Blog

The Deus ex Machina Scenario August 19, 2022

By Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Markets, News

Given all the confusion in the world around COVID, supply chains, inflation dynamics and war, there are lots of potential externalities that could resolve themselves unexpectedly. We call this the Deus ex Machina scenario. Our analysis follows in our Mid-Quarter Update. Prefer to download this presentation…

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Spotlight Pinterest: What Should I Cook for Dinner? August 17, 2022

By Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders

Pinterest is a virtual bulletin board for finding and sharing ideas for food, home, style, inspiration, and more. The firm calls users, “Pinners,” for the ability to log in and “pin” favorite aspirational images and collections of images to personalized “boards” that may be organized…

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Chinese Devaluation Seems Likely August 16, 2022

By Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy

Over the weekend, we got a slew of data showing a generally weak economy. Below are the actual data compared with the expectations from Bloomberg. Of course, the headline grabber was the -31.4% drop in residential property sales, but across the board, from industrial production…

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Spotlight Spotify: The Music Machine of the Future August 04, 2022

By Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders

Spotify is one of the largest music streaming services in the world. Founded in 2006 by current CEO Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon in Stockholm, Sweden, today’s Spotify is home to 80 million music tracks and four million podcasts. The firm calls itself the world’s…

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Is Now the Time for Small Cap Growth to Shine? August 03, 2022

By Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets

Across US indexes, growth has experienced a resurgence relative to value off the June 17, 2022 low. In this piece, I am going to focus on small-cap stocks and consider their merits through the lens of: 1) US Treasury yields, 2) oil prices, and 3)…

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Spotlight OneSpan: Cybersecurity in its DNA July 27, 2022

By Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders

OneSpan makes digital authentication software for corporate cybersecurity. With technologies including multi-factor and passwordless authentication, transaction authorization, and e-signatures, its products have helped prevent billions of dollars in fraud. Founded in 1984, in Chicago, Illinois, as Vasco, the fledgling cybersecurity consulting company soon acquired ThumbScan,…

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Is the Japanese Yen’s Decline Over? July 26, 2022

By Steven Vannelli, CFA in Economy, Markets

Since the COVID low in US Treasury rates and subsequent rise, the Japanese Yen has tracked the yield differential between the US and Japan. With the Federal Reserve having embarked on a rate hiking cycle, the monetary policy divergence between the US and Japan has…

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Spotlight Netscout: Guardians of the Connected World July 21, 2022

By Knowledge Leaders Team in Knowledge Leaders

Netscout delivers cybersecurity software and services that protect large corporate networks from attacks, optimize performance, and navigate near-constant upgrades to adapt to the latest technology trends. In addition, Netscout is a tier 1 operator of 5G, assisting carriers to launch new 5G networks and protect…

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Room to Run July 20, 2022

By Steven Vannelli, CFA in Markets

After the June 17, 2022 low, stocks have jumped higher, taking out the 50-day moving average yesterday in the S&P 500. Many are debating whether this is a bear market rally or the reversal of the bruising 6-month decline. For the time being, we think…

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