Everybody's an unwilling energy analyst again.

Small caps just got cheaper, energy still looks compelling, and defense stocks haven’t caught up to a wave of major contract wins.

Is a home décor boom hiding inside the housing market freeze? Plus data center NIMBYs creating an opening for new winners in the AI trade, and slimming corporate margins.

Last week, America learned that a Fed staffer pointed out investors are receiving remarkably little extra compensation for owning stocks instead of bonds, and everyone immediately went back to talking about inflation. Very normal. Very fine.

After a week in which 30-year Treasury yields hit a 25-year high, we decided to go to the source and talk to Mr. Bond himself. The following conversation has been edited for clarity.

Are consumers becoming more tolerant of roaches, or simply less tolerant of rising costs (even for pest control)? Plus, hunting for the next leg of AI winners.

Low-volatility stocks look cheap, AI may be helping hiring, and banks are turning higher rates into a tailwind.

Lower income households are getting a raise, increasing capex estimates signal confidence, and small businesses are catching up in their use of AI.

Participants want caregiver planning support, but many lack confidence in key financial decisions. Advisors can help fill the gap.

Jim Lydotes flips the timer on a retail energy deal, thinner consumer cushions, and how index rebalancing shows why investors should look beneath the market surface.