The Russell 2000 (^RUT) is treading water Monday morning after last week’s impressive rally, with the small-cap index barely changed as fresh geopolitical turbulence in the Middle East threatens the brief ceasefire…
U.S. equity futures are sharply lower Monday morning as a renewed flare-up in the U.S.-Iran conflict sent crude oil surging and rattled investor confidence heading into a week packed with earnings. After…
The NASDAQ Composite (^IXIC) opened Monday under pressure, slipping 0.34% in early trading after 21 hours of U.S.-Iran peace talks over the weekend collapsed without a deal. President Trump ordered a naval…
The S&P 500 Index (^GSPC)opened Monday under pressure, sliding roughly 0.6% in early trading after President Trump ordered a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Weekend peace talks between the U.S.…
The CBOE Volatility Index is trading near 19.5 this morning, but a single number released at 8:30 a.m. ET today could push it sharply in either direction. The March CPI report drops…
The Nasdaq (^IXIC) edged into positive territory in pre-market trading Friday, up a fraction of a percent ahead of the open, while the S&P 500 tracker gained about half that amount. The…
Small caps are having a better 2026 than most investors expected. While large-cap indexes have struggled under the weight of mega-cap volatility, smaller comapnies with more domestic revenue have quietly held up…
The S&P 500 is down on the year through late March, but surprisingly, small caps are not. This divergence, while not dramatic in size, reflects something more meaningful happening underneath the surface…
The VIX closed last week at almost 27, an 11% jump on the final trading day, and early signals this week show it climbing further. The fear gauge now sits at its…
Nasdaq 100 futures slipped 0.98% in Tuesday’s early trading, pulling the index back into negative territory after Monday’s sharp rebound. The retreat reflects a familiar pattern: optimism about Iran peace talks faded…
SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY) futures slipped as much as .74% in early trading Tuesday as Monday’s relief rally evaporated overnight. Tehran’s flat denial that any direct negotiations with Washington had…
Brent crude surged past $108 per barrel on Friday following fresh attacks on Persian Gulf energy infrastructure, sending the CBOE Volatility Index sharply higher and fear through every major U.S. equity index.…
The S&P 500 fell to 6,557.94, down 0.73% as of mid-morning Friday, with all three major indexes on pace for a fourth consecutive losing week as surging oil prices and Middle East…
The CBOE Volatility Index surged roughly 13% on Thursday before settling to 24.92 by the close. The driver was unambiguous: oil prices briefly touched $100 a barrel after reports of Iranian strikes…
SMDV has paid a dividend every single quarter since launching in February 2015, through a pandemic, a rate-hiking cycle, and a regional banking scare. That consistency is worth understanding before you decide…
