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In a pleasant surprise, the U.S. made it to the knockout stages of the World Cup. However, as widely predicted, they failed it make it any further. While winning the World Cup would have been truly extraordinary, in the history of American sports, nothing is likely to top the legendary 1980 hockey victory that inspired the titular quote. Such a victory was truly miraculous, at least according to the Oxford Languages dictionary, which defines a miracle as, “a highly improbable or extraordinary event, development, or accomplishment that brings very welcome consequences.” As an aside, we were shocked to learn there is not a Hallmark Christmas movie with this title, wherein “Miracles” is either a town or a dog.

Yes, this is the Hank Williams, Junior catchphrase from the erstwhile intro to Monday Night football (American Style) but we are going to be looking at markets through the lens of association football, specifically the World Cup, which kicks off in a few weeks. Yes, this event is typically played in the summer, but since it is being played in Qatar this year for reasons that certainly have nothing to do with unethical behavior on the part of soccer’s governing body, FIFA, let’s get ready for some football, I mean soccer.

It's the beginning of trading in the month of October and the markets have seen a steady decline. This is one of the more difficult market environments we've seen. Jonathan Ruffer, one of the greatest investors of whom you have never heard, recently wrote, “(i)n the forty-five years I have been an investor, I cannot recall a more dangerous period than today.”

We had some positive feedback on our myth-oriented update, which inspired one reader to ask we theme an update on Ulysses, the James Joyce classic, not the star of Homer’s Odyssey. So, I went to the library and checked out a 30-year-old edition that appeared to have never been opened.

Investors felt a little like Milhouse in July because despite a deluge of bad economic and inflation data, equity markets still posted strong returns. We will look at both the news flow and the market’s reaction; and where it might all go from here in this Milhouse-inspired update.

As referenced on our recent podcast, there is a modicum of excitement around Top Gun: Maverick. The original is iconic, in part due to its legendary soundtrack, including Danger Zone, by the unofficial king of soundtracks, Kenny Loggins.

As referenced on our recent podcast, there is a modicum of excitement around Top Gun: Maverick. The original is iconic, in part due to its legendary soundtrack, including Danger Zone, by the unofficial king of soundtracks, Kenny Loggins.

I said no camels. That’s five camels…Can’t you count? Before we get to the elephant, well, camel, in the room, which is a historically bad April for equities, let us look at one of the root causes: The Federal Reserve. More specifically, investors tend to view rate increases like camels: fewer is better. Going into the meeting, we were expecting over ten…by December. The Fed made good on two (2) at the May meeting, bringing the count to three (3) hikes so far, with eight (8) more anticipated.

Our family drives…a lot. Unfortunately, the driver (usually me) does not control the music. That falls to the children, and recently the music has been almost exclusively the soundtrack to Encanto. As a Hamilton fan, I will grudgingly admit some of the songs are catchy. Having said that, the charm wanes after listening to the same song a dozen times on a three-hour tour. Just the same, given the fantastical and magical rally we saw in March, we will look at these charmed markets and see if they might last.

What a difference a month makes. Last month, we used the potential for a Bengals Super Bowl win as our backdrop; sadly, the orange and black fell just short. This month, we are writing as the world and, less importantly, markets, are focused on the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. This region is not new to conflict, having inspired one of history’s most famous martial poems, Tennyson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade.