Money Life with Chuck Jaffe

Mike Buckius, chief executive officer at Gateway Investment Advisers, says that the concentration at the top of the market and the rate cycle and the Federal Reserve's delays in cutting rates have made it that investors should manage risks, because valuations have gotten frothy and drawdowns "throw investors off of their long-term plans." He says that the market's bounce-back to record highs makes it feel like stocks are due for 'a pause and consolidation,' which is the kind of time when Gateway's index-option strategy -- using options to generate income that protects against downturns -- tends to work best, and he discusses the firm's new ETF which focuses on the quality factor. Plus, Steve Coughran, chief financial officer at MoneyPickle.com, is here for "The Financial Crunch," discussing whether there is ever a time for investors and savers to act panicky, and how you work with an adviser to build emotional discipline and to never let the market get the best of you. In the Market Call, Scott Bennett of Invest With Rules, brings together trend-following, watching the movements of big money and risk management to decide which stocks and ETFs to invest in now.

The optimists and the pessimists will be served today on Money Life, as two interviews look at the same market but come to wildly different conclusions. Carley Garner, senior commodity strategist at DeCarley Trading, says in the "Talking Technicals" segment that she "sees some really big red flags waving," and that it will get rocky as the market backs away from being "extremely over-extended." She expects the market to take a turn for the worse, though she thinks election-year conditions may prop the market up and minimize the potential damage. Meanwhile, at the end of the show in the Big interview, Chris Zaccarelli, chief investment officer of Independent Advisor Alliance, says a pullback would be "completely normal," but he expects stocks to overcome a bumpy ride to finish the year up from here provided the economy can sidestep a recession. Also on the show, financial journalist Liz Weston of NerdWallet.com discusses her recent decision to retire and how she made a decision that proved difficult despite years of preparing for it, plus Mark Higgins discusses his new book, "Investing in U.S. Financial History: Understanding the Past to Forecast the Future."

Arjun Jayaraman, portfolio manager at Causeway Capital Management, says that valuations abroad are better than what investors are seeing domestically -- noting that international small cap stocks are trading at a discount of 10 times compared to domestic large-cap companies -- but made it clear he favors Japan and India while worrying that geopolitical issues are making it difficult to invest in China despite compelling valuations that have it among the cheapest nations in the world. Plus, Kyle Guske, investment analyst at New Constructs, puts Reddit's upcoming initial public offering into the Danger Zone, Chuck discusses the bad banking pitch wrapped in a flag by a new bank trying to capitalize on political disagreement, and Bryan Wong, co-manager of Osterweis Emerging Opportunity, talks small-cap stocks in the Market Call.

Everett Millman, precious metals specialist at Gainesville Coins, says that the gold market is surprised by how strongly the price of gold has held above the $2,000 level this year despite "rather tepid demand for physical cold in North America in Europe." Millman notes that there is a geopolitical premium on gold right now, which combined with the election year and concerns over inflation and interest rates has helped prices hold current levels, and he expects it to trade sideways until there is more clarity on monetary policy, although he otes that longer-term, he can see a case for gold reaching $3,000 an ounce by the end of the decade. Matt Kaufman, head of ETFs at Calamos Investments, discusses the current sweet spot in closed-end funds and why that prompted the firm to open a new ETF of closed-end funds. Plus, in the Market Call, Allen Bond, head of research at Jensen Investment Management talks about buying quality stocks at reasonable prices.

Nanette Abuhoff Jacobson, multi-asset strategist at Wellington Management -- the global investment strategist for the Hartford Funds -- says that she prefers equities to bonds right now, despite fixed income delivering its best returns in years, noting that she particularly likes dividend paying stocks, both in the U.S. and in Europe. Jacobson also likes Japan, but she dislikes emerging markets and is particularly wary of China right now. Todd Rosenbluth at VettaFi likes the looks of a relatively new actively managed ETF from T. Rowe Price that invests in small and mid-cap companies as his "ETF of the Week." Greg McBride discusses a new study from Bankrate.com showing that 36% of Americans have more credit-card debt than emergency savings and, in the Market Call, Tobias Carlisle of the Acquirers Funds talks about his brand of deep-value investing.

Meb Faber, chief executive and chief investment officer at Cambria Investments, says value investing is poised for success, not just in the United States -- where the market has been dominated by a few high-priced big names -- but globally, and particularly in emerging markets where the technology names that almost never trade at discounts here are bargain-priced now. In a wide-ranging interview, Faber discusses how the market's run has highlighted the disfunction of some conventional indexes, the parts of the market that excite him -- and that Cambria Funds has released new issues to cover -- and more. In "The Financial Crunch," Brent Thurman, chief executive officer at Money Pickle, dispels some common misconceptions about financial planning that are being spread in television commercials by a big national firm. Plus, in the Money Life Market Call, Eric Boughton, chief analyst at Matisse Capital, talks about buying the big discounts currently available in closed-end funds.

Michael Kahn, senior market analyst at Lowry Research Corp., says that there are plenty of minor, nagging concerns about the market, but the major trend is up "and until there is evidence such as falling breadth or deteriorating volume" and more, investors should ride the trend higher. Kahn notes that the Magnificent Seven -- which have led the market higher -- have gone up so much that any bad news for them "could be a real problem" that would drag the index down, but there are other opportunities worth pursuing as part of the current rally. The show also features two conversations concerning couples and their relationships with money, with The Book Interview featuring Scott Rick, author, "Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships," before Chuck digs into the annual Debt and Divorce Study from Debt.com with Howard Dvorkin. In the Market Call, Dave Gilreath, chief investment officer at Innovative Portfolios, talks dividend-paying stocks, and how the best of them today are not in some of the sectors that income investors have typically favored.

Bill Davis, portfolio manager at Stance Capital -- which managed the Hennessy Stance ESG ETF -- says companies in the bottom two-thirds of the Standard & Poor's 500 are poised to out perform moving forward as the stock market moves back towards normalcy with more stocks sharing in the solid economic underpinnings and the Magnificent Seven stocks and other giants having reduced role in the market's growth. Likewise, Charlie Ripley, senior investment strategist at Allianz Investment Management, says the resilient economy in the United States is pointing towards a soft-or no-landing situation where more stocks should benefit from inflation normalizing. That's also what has economists being more optimistic, as the February Outlook Survey from the National Association for Business Economics, released today, shows that a majority of economists expect inflation to hit the Federal Reserve's target level of 2 percent next year; Ryan Sweet, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, discusses the survey. Plus David Trainer, president of New Constructs, puts Revvity Inc. -- a company with what he says are massively overstated street earnings -- in the Danger Zone.

Bill Nygren, co-manager of the Oakmark Fund, says investors should expect slower growth from the market for the next decade; as a result, he says "the long-term equity investor should probably be thinking about something on the order of 7or 8 percent a year rather than the double-digit level." There will still be buys, Nygrem says, but investors will need to go against the herd -- and be selective amongst names like the Magnificent Seven stocks -- in order to find them. John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors, digs into his firm's data to compare and contrast business development companies and municipal bond closed-end funds as a way to pump up yield without feeling like you've taken on too much risk in a scary interest rate environment. Plus, Michael Loukas, chief executive officer at TrueMark Investments, talks about artificial intelligence and deep learning stocks in The Market Call.

Bernie Horn, long-time manager of Polaris Global Value, says that value stocks have outperformed growth stocks outside of the United States for several years and he expects the domestic markets to follow suit as central banks keep interest rates higher, creating positive real returns for fixed income and ending some of the bubbles caused in equity sectors caused by years of borrowings at interest rates near zero. While he expects the change to be global, Horn notes that he favors international stocks now because their valuations are more attractive. Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi also goes international with his ETF of the Week, picking an emerging market fund that excludes China for investors who have been scared away by concerns over China's markets. Nate Miles, head of retirement at Allspring Global Investments discusses the firm's annual retirement survey, which showed that two-thirds of retirees and near-retirees think they are ready for retirement, but advisers think just 40 percent of their clientele is ready to make the leap. Plus, Dave Grossman, the founder of MilesTalk, discusses how to travel the world on loyalty points and frequent-flier miles and digs into the Capital One-Discovery merger and how it might change the points landscape for years.

Phillip Colmar, global strategist at MRB Partners, says that the Federal Reserve is not going to give the market the five or more interest rate cuts it has been expecting. As a result, he suggests banking on bond yields that will stay higher for longer, even if the central bank gives a token cut or two; on stocks, he expects a better growth picture without a recession or a big correction, but because valuations are high he is looking to securities with earnings power, so he is thinking mega-cap financials, aerospace and defense companies and more. Nick Young, chief experience officer at Money Pickle, discusses what savers and investors should expect from a first meeting with a financial adviser and how to guard against falling in love at first conversation, Chuck answers a listener's question about the differences between closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds and Taylor Krystkowiak, investment strategist at the Themes ETFs, talks thematic investments in the Market Call.

David Giroux, manager of T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation -- a fund that has beaten the performance of its average peer for a record 16 straight calendar years -- says that while U.S. stock valuations have gotten lofty, investors "don't need to diversify into a worse geography," and says investors can get international exposure by buying U.S. multi-nationals and have better companies. Domestically, Giroux says that the mega-cap Magnificent Seven stocks have gotten expensive but they are still worth holding over the next five years, but that investors must realize they won't "be where the best risk-rewards is in the market today." He's looking at high-grade fixed income, as well as utilities, parts of health care and other areas where low valuations are making the probability of success high. Also on the show, Matt Fox, president at Ithaca Wealth Management, says that the technicals are challenging for the market right now because "there is no real price memory" when the market moves into record territory, yet he is encouraged by "Multi-year bases that have experienced decisive breakouts across all sectors of the market," a phenomenon normally seen relatively early in an uptrend. Fox does think the market could retest the 4,800 level soon, but he remains positive on where it goes from here. Plus, author Kurt Wagner comes in for The Book Interview, discussing his new book -- out today -- "Battle for the Bird: Jack Dorsey, Elon Musk, and the $44 Billion Fight for Twitter's Soul."

Matt Miskin, co-chief investment strategist at John Hancock Investment Management, says that several European nations are in recession while their stock markets are pushing through record highs, in conditions so unusual that U.S. activities are helping foreign multinationals keep rolling. Still, Miskin believes the U.S. is the best market, though he is now skewing the portfolio toward mid-cap names, pulling back slightly on the mega-cap giants over valuation concerns and leaning into bonds for the safety of consistent returns in excess of 5 percent. Matt Harris, chief investment officer at The Hausberg Group, turns the conversation to technicals, and while he believes that "There's not much that is more bullish than all-time highs," he thinks returns will be muted for 2024. Plus, Dana Staggs, president of ArrowMark Financial Corp., discusses how investments in the banking business through something called "regulatory capital relief securities" can both juice and stabilize returns, and Christopher Zook, president, CAZ Investments returns to the show, talking thematic investing at a reasonable price in the Market Call.

Rick Pitcairn, chief global strategist at Pitcairn, says that while the markets have been dominated by monetary policy for the last decade or more, the next 20 years will see fiscal policy will be equally or more important because of how the government borrows money and what it needs to take on in new debts to keep rolling. Pitcairn acknowledges that the current dysfunction in Washington worries him about how policies will be set and the potential fallout from gridlock. In the Market Call, Dan Kim, senior investment analyst at Saturna Capital -- co-manager of the Sextant International fund -- talks about the international opportunities available now, plus Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi turns to a long-time traditional fund manager making a recent move into exchange-traded funds for his ETF of the Week.

David Hay, co-chief investment officer at Evergreen Gavekal -- author of the Haymaker newsletter focused on macroeconomic research -- says that 'Pseudo prosperity is still prosperity,' and investors should like whatever they are getting from the economy now because he does not think it will last. Hay says the market "is almost all-in on Goldilocks," which will "make it hard to make money betting on the soft landing." Christopher Zook, president of CAZ Investments -- co-author of Tony Robbins' new book, "The Holy Grail of Investing" -- talks about the themes and the alternative investments that will drive the next decade or more while delivering oversized gains. Plus, in "The Financial Crunch," Cam Miller, chief revenue officer at Money Pickle, talks about how much money someone needs to have before turning to a financial adviser for help.

Julius de Kempenaer, senior technical analyst at StockCharts, says that the stock market is "crashing higher," having reached record levels with no signs of stopping but that doesn't mean he's buying now because he finds it over-stretched. De Kempenaer sees the market going through rotation right now, with money flowing from value into growth right now helping to push things higher. Lester Jones, chief economist for the National Beer Wholesalers Association returns to the show to discuss the January Beer Purchasers' Index, which showed that consumers have been responding to inflation by cutting back on the high-end beers and spending more on the below-premium drinks. Plus, insurance analyst Shannon Martin of Bankrate.com discusses the high and rising costs of auto insurance, and author Michael Graetz discusses his new book, "The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America."

Brad McMillan, chief investment officer for Commonwealth Financial Network, says that while market valuations are high right now on a historic basis -- which might make investors cautious -- the sky-high prices for the Magnificent Seven stocks that have been leading the market to record levels have left room for the other stocks in the index to be particularly reasonable. That means the market's overall valuation is more reasonable than headlines suggest, and there is room to grow in other sectors. Likewise, economists are feeling like economic policies are working well enough to avoid big problems like recession this year -- according to the latest Policy Survey from the National Association for Business Economics, released today; Lester Jones of the NABE survey committee discusses how economists still have some worries about fiscal policies and how the Federal Reserve might mess things up. Plus David Trainer of New Constructs revisits a Danger Zone pick that has fallen dramatically but that he thinks will go all the way to zero in due time, and author Jared Dillian talks about his new book "No Worries: How to Live a Stress-Free Financial Life" and how three key financial decisions will determine how easily you can avoid feeling day-to-day financial pressures.

Jeff Rosenkranz, fixed income portfolio manager at Shelton Capital Management, says that if the Federal Reserve waits too long to cut rates or if systemic problems resurface -- including potential troubles with bank safety -- the economy could be due for more trouble than most observers expect. Rosenkranz expects to see a significant increase in credit troubles and defaults, noting that the classic default cycle that accompanies rate hikes hasn't really occurred yet, but that it's unlikely to be avoided completely. One area that has struggled with the rate cycle has been municipal bond funds, and Jonathan Mondillo, head of North American fixed income for abrdn, says that has pushed muni closed-end funds to record discount levels, but that has created opportunities for attractive income levels and heightened total return for investors willing to swim against the tide. In the "Talking Technicals" segment, Alex Coffey, senior trading strategist at Charles Schwab, says that with the Standard & Poor's 500 on the verge of the 5,000 level, the market has gotten beyond levels of resistance which creates significant opportunity for the market to run right up to the point where it runs out of steam, warning that these kind of rallies "typically don't end well." Plus, author Malissa Clark discusses finding the right work-life balance and her new book, "Never Not Working: Why the Always-On Culture Is Bad for Business--and How to Fix It."

Kathy Boyle, president of Chapin Hill Advisors, is worried that with 'all of Wall Street being bullish again," overblown earnings expectations, strong employment and the more getting the Federal Reserve to where it will wait longer before cutting rates, the stock market has gotten a bit overblown. As a result, she thinks there's a good chance of a short-term correction, potentially down to the 4,400 level on the Standard & Poor's 500, though she does think there's a good chance the market comes through that to finish the year on a positive note. Rick Gable, portfolio manager for the MFS Global Real Estate fund, takes stock in the real estate market, noting that while the entire business has made a lot of negative news, the sour stories mostly are impacting office space and the rest of the market is full of opportunities. Plus, Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, looks at a young fund with a great three-year track record that can be an actively managed addition to the passive portions of a portfolio, and Chuck answers a listener's question about the fund offering filed Wednesday by hedge-fund manager Bill Ackman.

Today, Money Life debuts its latest feature, The Financial Crunch with Money Pickle, a fin-tech company that is changing the financial world by making affordable and convenient financial coaching available to investors. Brent Thurman, Money Pickle's chief executive, discusses finding a financial adviser and how investors have it so much better now that technology can make the process smooth and easy. Kelley Wright, editor at Investment Quality Trends, returns to the show for the first time since 2017, and discusses his take on how to pick value stocks in the Market Call. Plus, Ken Costa, author of "The 100 Trillion Dollar Wealth Transfer: How the Handover from Boomers to Gen Z Will Revolutionize Capitalism," and Chuck discusses his Super Bowl Ad/IPO indicator, which suggests that the real losers of this weekend's big game will be investors in young companies advertising during the telecast.

Jim Thorne, economist/chief market strategist at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, says that "The Fed is the Fed of the world," and that how central bankers act in the United States act will determine the economic prospects of the rest of the world, and he worries that as the Federal Reserve tightens, it could over-tighten and create economic issues. He expects a growth shock, but says the U.S. will get through it and remain the best market to invest in around the globe. Michele Schneider, chief strategist at MarketGauge.com, says that the "inside sectors of the U.S. economy" -- small caps, retail and transportation -- will be the ones that tell the economic story moving forward; she says those sectors are still adjusting, to the end of zero-interest rate policy but are showing signs that there should be plenty of opportunity there for the rest of the year. Also, entrepreneur Madeline Pendleton discusses her new book, "I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt: Everything I Wish I Never Had to Learn About Money."

Pedro Palandrani, head of research at Global X, says that the continued evolution of the electric vehicle market will make it so that lithium and copper companies are the next equivalent of the Big Oil stocks, but he worries that the industries are among the most sensitive globally to geopolitical risk, which he says investors should factor into their allocation decisions. In honor of the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs foregoes the Danger Zone in favor of talking about an attractive stock this week, and he singles out Photronics as a company which despite good recent numbers has a long way to go. Plus Dan Skubiz, chief investment officer and senior portfolio manager at ZCM, makes his debut in the Market Call talking about investing in small=-cap stocks at a time when a few mega-cap names have been dominating the market.

Jim Welsh, author of "Macro Tides" and the "Weekly Technical Review" newsletters says that if the market can rally past recent highes -- with the Standard & Poor's 500 topping 4931 -- it will finish the market's recent rally and leave stocks vulnerable to a small correction over the next few months. That said, Welsh believes in a 17-year cycle that his charts show dates back nearly 100 years, and that cycle is cooking up a coming secular bear market that ultimately could last for a decade and crater the market in the process. Susan Fahy discusses the latest "CreditGauge" measures from VantageScore, which show that the consumer is showing signs of financial stress, but the action hasn't been as bad in most areas as the headlines might suggest. Ian Merrill of SCG Asset Management and The Alternative Strategies Income Fund talks about how money managers can add derivatives to a portfolio in ways that mitigate risks but goose returns over the long haul, and Vince Lorusso, president/portfolio manager of Clough Capital, talks valuation investing in the Market Call.

Todd Rosenbluth, head of research at VettaFi, says investors should be looking at an equal-weighted approach to the market -- allowing all winners to have a chance to succeed -- despite the strong 2023 put up by the Standard & Poor's 500, a market-cap weighted index whose results were dominated by the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks. Rosenbluth made the Invesco S&P 500 Equal-Weight Technology ETF his ETF of the Week, noting that while the tech sector is a big part of most asset allocations, most of the money has been going into the few names rather than the broad group of stocks. Also on the show, Ted Rossman on the latest Bankrate.com study on financial infidelity, which showed that 40 percent of people in live-in romantic relationships are keeping financial secrets from their spouse or partner. Long-time financial journalist and money coach Lynette Khalfani-Cox returns to the show to discuss financial literacy efforts, student loan repayments, money media and more, and Rob Isbitts brings the methodology that's behind his new site -- ETFYourself.com -- to the Market Call.

Mark Hebner, chief executive officer at Index Fund Advisors, says that the dominant action of the so-called Magnificent Seven stocks is nothing new, and that the market has long shown a propensity for companies to have oversized performance as their shares moved into the top 10 of an index, only to then regress toward the mean. It's not just why he thinks the Magnificent Seven will cool off in the not-too-distant future, but it reinforces investors using index funds to ride out the market rather than trying to be stock-pickers and falling prey to the market moving against them. Matt Brannon, data analyst with Clever Real Estate, discusses the site's 2024 State of Retirement Finances report, which found that 40 percent of retirees worry about living their savings and nearly 20 percent more say they already have. Plus, Chuck answers a listener's question about selecting bond funds, and author Ernest Scheyder discusses his new book, "The War Below: Lithium, Copper, and the Global Battle to Power Our Lives."

Michael Kelly, global head of multi-asset at PineBridge Investments, says that the Federal Reserve seems to have pulled off the rare soft landing, and that portends good things ahead because previous soft landings -- in 1964, 1984 and 1994 -- the markets mostly rewarded investors who invested "as if it was late cycle," where growth funds tend to lead the way. Kelly does think the market has gotten a bit ahead of itself, but still thinks the year should be positive; he also notes that investors will want to add to the fixed income side of their portfolios, and he currently likes intermediate-term investments given the shifts ahead in the yield curve. Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at BankRate.com discusses the site's lates Emergency Savings Report, which shows that only 44 percent of Americans say they could afford to pay for a $1,000 emergency expense, plus we introduce a new sponsor to the show as veteran money manager Rob Isbitts talks about his latest venture, ETFYourself.com and, in the Market Call, Michael Lowenberg, portfolio manager of the Modern Capital Tactical Income Fund, talks stocks.

Sheraz Mian, director of research at Zacks Investment Research -- which focuses on earnings results for much of its forecasting -- says that with about one quarter of companies having now reported earnings results for 2023, the numbers look like "more of the same, more of the good stuff." He doesn't expect growth to be impressive this year, but there's also not much negative guidance or gloomy outlooks from companies, and he expects that mixed but largely benign environment to last through the year. Meanwhile, Hamish Preston, director of U.S. equity indices for S&P Dow Jones Indices, talks about the market's recent record highs and what they portend for the year ahead, noting that In years when the S&P 500 hits a new peak in January, gains tend to be higher than normal for the year, an average gain of roughly 10.5 percent compared to years when the market fails to reach record levels until later. Plus, David Trainer of New Constructs puts a large-cap fund that gets a four-star rating from Morningstar into the Danger Zone for holding too many dangerous stocks, and Lynette Khalfani-Cox discusses her new book, "Bounce Back: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Resilience."

Brian Allen, chief investment officer at CS McKee, says "The market has done a lot of the easing work to launch the easing campaign in 2024," meaning that the Federal Reserve will not feel much pressure to cut rates more than four times this year. He says there's no pressure for more due to the bond market rallying over the last few months while the stock market was moving to all-time highs; that also raised valuations to where investors should lower their return expectations for both stocks and bonds this year. Also on the show, Jenny Naughton, executive vice president for Chubb Personal Risk Services, about the firm's recent study showing that wealthy Americans consider extreme weather -- and the damage it could do --as the biggest threats to their wealth this year, Roxanna Islam, head of sector and industry research at VettaFi, sizes up the ETFs that invest in closed-end funds, and William Smead of the Smead Value fund talks stocks in the Market Call.

Brett Ewing, chief market strategist at First Franklin Financial Services, says that while he expects large-cap stocks -- led by the Magnificent Seven names -- to have a positive year that could potentially see returns in the 8 to 9 percent range, the market has set up for smaller companies to really pay off. He says that small-and mid-cap stocks are trading at reasonable levels, giving them the potential to gain 15 to 25 percent in 2024. Meanwhile, Todd Rosenbluth is looking to stick with large-cap stocks -- but finding a cheaper way to own them while favoring value stocks -- as he picks a new large-cap index-based fund from Goldman Sachs as his ETF of the Week. Michael Young, director of education and outreach at the Sustainable Investment Forum, gives his outlook for ESG investing -- and for the controversies and politicization of funds with environmental, social and governance agendas -- in the year ahead, before Todd Jones, chief investment officer at Gratus Capital makes his debut in the Market Call talking stocks.

Kevin Mahn, president and chief investment officer at Hennion & Walsh, says that he expects interest rates, yields and inflation to all be lower over the next three years, and that the economy will start growing more robustly once the rate cuts start. That is setting up a strong three-year run for stocks and bonds, one that Mahn thinks most investors should intuitively be expecting and be comfortable with. Stanford University professor Anat Admati, co-author of "The Bankers' New Clothes: What's Wrong with Banking and What to Do about It," discusses how the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and other troubles that occurred in 2023 are not really over, and why the system that has immunized banks from most troubles has also ensured that troubles will keep happening. Plus, in the Market Call, Craig Sarembock, wealth adviser at Bartlett Wealth Management, talks about finding growth stocks at reasonable prices.

Jeff Weniger, head of equity strategy at WisdomTree Asset Management, says that the "rip-roaring rally" that started in late October on account of declining interest rates, and it slowed in January but now "Boom, suddenly you're back off to the races" with the stock market at new highs and the Standard & Poor's 500 now eyeing 5000. Weniger notes that there are plenty of concerns for the rally, and he notes that a downturn could test the classic 60-40 portfolio, where he thinks investors may be disappointed with how fixed income does its job of providing portfolio protection. Talking technicals, Lawrence McMillan of McMillan Analysis says he is staying bullish, but he is on alert for changes because the current rally feels similar to January 2018 or 2020, both years that had solid starts only to turn ugly in February and March. Plus, Ronan McMahon discusses a study from International Living Magazine showing what countries people want to move to for their retirement years and what the most popular destinations have in common, and Jay Kaplan, portfolio manager of the Royce Small Cap Value fund, talks in the Market Call about being a business-valuation investor.

Bryan Shipley, co-chief executive/chief investment officer at Arnerich Massena, says that yields are more attractive overseas and there is the emergence of growth internationally, but domestic markets have deserved their higher valuation. Still, when he sees a struggle between domestic and international markets, it's usually a sign of leadership changing, which is one reason why he's keeping clients in foreign investments; it's part of a strategy where he recommends investors "choose their own reality," deciding where they want to participate among many opportunities and stories around the market. Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate.com, discusses the site's latest survey, which shows that 56 million credit cardholders have been revolving their debt on plastic for at least a year. David Trainer, founder and president at New Constructs revisits one of the original meme stocks and discusses why he thinks its picture is growing very dark, and hedge fund manager Steven Grey of Grey Value Management talks about "valuation investing" in the Market Call.

Zach Jonson, chief investment officer at Stack Financial Management, says that the top-heavy nature of the stock market -- with so few stocks driving the bulk of returns in 2023 -- is going to make it hard for the standard & Poor's 500 index to gain much ground this year, though he notes that as investors have been chasing the same small group of stocks in a few sectors, other "high quality parts of the market have become notably more attractive." He compared it to the tech bubble of the late 1990s -- "the last time you had concentration anywhere close to what you have now" -- where certain sectors that lagged while the bubble was inflating became bargains. As a result, Jonson suggested investors invest in the defensive areas that the market has left behind over the last year. Also on the show, Cheryl Pate, manager of the Angel Oak Financial Strategies Income Term Trust, gives her outlook for the banking sector this year and talks about the importance of focusing on credit quality as the rate cycle progresses, veteran financial journalist Allan Sloan discusses the lasting investment lessons from Charlie Munger -- Warren Buffett's right-hand man -- and Paul Daneshrad talks about his new book, "Money & Morons: How To Build Wealth And Protect Yourself From The Great Conflux."

Corin Frost, managing director at Helios Quantitative Research, says that while economic indicators are largely strong and positive, the stock market is not as connected to wave, largely because the Magnificent Seven stocks have driven so much performance that their ability to continue with good relative performance will go a long way to determining the year in the market, regardless of economic growth numbers. Todd Rosenbluth, director of research at VettaFi, picks his favorite of the brand new spot Bitcoin funds as the ETF of the Week and explains why his pick stands out from the crowd of new funds. Plus, Chuck answers a listener's question about Cathie Wood and the ARK Funds and discusses the feast-and-famine nature of their performance, and Josh West, portfolio manager at Buffalo Mid Cap, talks growth investing in the Market Call.

Technical analyst Michael Sincere of Michael Sincere's Long-Term Trader sees the market as being ready to struggle in 2024, but he notes that trends in earnings will do the most to determine how it turns out, and if any of the Magnificent Seven stocks -- which spearheaded the market's dramatic gains in 2023 -- should stumble, he forecasts a major market decline. Chuck Mitchell of The Conference Board discusses the group's "C-Suite Outlook for 2024," which showed that top executives both domestically and abroad are scared of inflation and a potential recession, but most say they have not prepared for those potential outcomes yet. Plus, financial adviser Christopher Manske discusses his new book, "Outsmart the Money Magicians: Maximize Your Net Worth by Seeing Through the Most Powerful Illusions Performed by Wall Street and The IRS" and, in the Market Call, Kevin Rendino, chief executive officer at 180 Degree Capital, discusses value investing and activist management in small- and micro-cap investing.

Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American, expects the housing market to be better in 2024, and while it won't be as hot as it was during the pandemic nor as cold as it was after that run, "it's not quite right yet either, just better." He says the Federal Reserve's actions -- and he expects three or four rate cuts this year -- will determine just how strong the economy and the housing market are this year. Still, he thinks a downturn for the broad economy could actually help the real estate market. Bryan Armour, director of passive strategies research at Morningstar, discusses last week's Securities and Exchange Commission approval of spot bitcoin ETFs, and how investors should size up the resulting boom of new cryptocurrency funds. In the Market Call, Michael Campagna, senior investment analyst at Moerus Capital Management talks about global deep-value investing.

Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM, says that the market "is a bit out over its skis" in terms of when the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates and how many cuts will happen in 2024, but that may create volatility and determine whether there is another rally in the current cycle. Brusuelas says the economy is in the middle of a soft landing and keeps looking strong, which should mute or limit just how much slowing happens moving forward. Jeffrey Bierman, founder of The QuantGuy.com and chief market technician at TheoTrade.com, says the market is overextended and due for a "garden variety 10 percent correction," but there is room for investors to hunt and peck for opportunities. Also on the show, Aaron Filbeck of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association says that it's naive for investors to lump a wide range of mainstream investment options under the label of "alternative." Plus, Justin Carbonneau of Validea.com talks about the expert methodologies that are working the best in current conditions and how to build the ideas of money-management legends into your portfolio.

Bob Doll, chief investment officer at Crossmark Global Investments, returns with his annual forecasts for the stock market, the economy, the financial industry and more in the year ahead. He notes that the consensus for 2024 is a soft landing, but he thinks the lagged impact of everything that cause recessions -- massively higher interest rates, retail inventory levels rising, savings rates coming down and more -- will finally lead to a mild recession in the middle of this year. Doll also thinks that stocks could finish the year in the red. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of Vettafi turns to an actively managed short-term bond fund for his ETF of the Week, and Mike Bailey, director of research at FBB Capital Partners, talks "beat and raise investing" in the Market Call.

Lindsey Bell, chief strategist at 248 Ventures -- formerly chief markets strategist at Ally Invest -- is optimistic that the stock market can avoid big troubles in 2024, and is looking for a "return to normal,' in terms of the market's breadth of movers and returns. still, she includes technology stocks -- typically considered an aggressive play -- as part of the defensive plans that investors should be making for the year ahead. She also talks about the norms she expects to see maintained in international investing and more. Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at BankRate.com talks about his forecast for all types of interest rates in 2024, and while the rate picture is different from the market situation, he too is looking for more of a return to traditional expectations. In the Market Call, Leah Bennett, president of Westwood Wealth Management, talks stocks.

Veteran technical analyst Martin Pring of Pring Research is "very optimistic over the next 12 months" because the stock market's bounce since October "looks like the beginning of a bull market," with expanding breadth and economic indicators turning up to where indicators are bullish for stocks and bonds now. Pring makes an educated guess that the market could run up to 5,400 on the Standard & Poor's 500, but notes that if the indicators change -- which he would expect after the election next fall -- the bull market could end quickly. In The Big Interview, Alex McGrath, chief investment officer at NorthEnd Private Wealth, says that while the market has been rebounding, it hasn't ecaped concerns about a recession and about the future financial health of the consumer, so he's rotating into defensive positions and looking to be opportunistic in 2024. Also on the show, Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst for S&P Dow Jones Indices discusses how companies got more cautious late in 2023 about committing to dividend increases. Plus, Nancy Prial of Essex Investment Management and the 1290 Essex Small Cap Growth Fund talks small-cap stocks in the Market Call.

Wei Li, global chief investment strategist at BlackRock, makes it clear that she doesn't feel her firm's outlook for 2024 is "optimistic." Amid significant macroeconomic risks, Li says there are selective opportunities for investors who are willing to take the chance to put money to work, particularly in parts of the market that remain reasonable values -- notably artificial intelligence and big tenchology, which she expects to continue their strong performance from 2023 -- while avoiding parts of the market that are "priced for perfection" after the market's rally late in 2023. Also on the show, David Trainer at New Constructs puts Carvana back in "The Danger Zone," noting that the company remains a "zombie stock" -- one he expects could go to zero -- despite a strong bounceback in performance in 2023. In the Market Call, Simon Lack, managing partner at SL Advisors -- which oversees the American Energy Independence Index -- talks energy stocks, particularly midstream energy infrastructure stocks and the chance they represent to generate consistent gains now.

Veteran Wall Street observer Bob Doll, chief investment officer at Crossmark Global Investments, has been making 10 forecasts for the New Year for decades, but 2023 was one of the most difficult times he has ever had reading the tea leaves for the market and economy. He explains why as he looks back at his forecasts from a year ago and reviews what he got right and wrong and how conditions have changed; he will return to the show next week with his forecasts and predictions for 2024. Meanwhile, John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors, is looking forward, doing his annual forecast for the year ahead in closed-end funds, highlighted by his expectation that closed-end funds to outperform the general equity markets,In the Market Call, Raymond Bridges of the Bridges Capital Tactical ETF talks about being "aggressively cautious" in today's market conditions.

Rob Arnott, chairman and chief executive officer at Research Affiliates sees a recession as likely for late 2024, but expects the entire year to be dominated by domestic and geopolitics that create significant "left tail risk," the most extreme potential downside performance. It will be, he says, "a year of living dangerously," but he views current conditions "as a wonderful opportunity" to lean into value investing strategies. Also on the show, Tom Lydon, vice chairman at VettaFi makes a call on currencies and Japan with his ETF of the Week, and Mark Yusko, chief investment officer at Morgan Creek Capital Management, talks about ETF investment strategies in the Market Call.

John Barr, portfolio manager for the Needham Growth and Needham Aggressive Growth funds, says that despite the market's recent rally, there are plenty of smaller growth companies that represent good values with strong growth companies, though he also suggests that some of the large companies -- particularly in economy-driving industries like artificial intelligence and data storage -- have room to run too, which is why he's "not worried" about what the market will dish up this year. Also on the show, Manny Weintraub, principal at Cannell & Spears, discusses "super great stocks that are not going to kill you" in the Market Call, and Chuck reveals the 2023 results for his long-running "change experiment," where he saves everything under a $10 bill that comes his way in cash.

Bob Fraser, co-founder and chief financial officer at Aspen Funds, says the market has gotten excited and ahead of itself, so that it could spend the early part of the year mostly at a standstill, but he also doesn't see much downside risk, with neither a recession nor a crash in the offing. Ultimately, Fraser thinks the market will end the year up, though not as much as it gained in the year we just completed. Also on the show, subscription expert Robbie Kellman Baxter talks about how companies take steps to get consumers hooked and to make it hard for them to wriggle off of the regular payment cycle, and she offers tips for protecting yourself from subscription overload, plus Chuck makes his market and economic forecasts for the year ahead.

Long-time technical analyst Gene Peroni of Peroni Portfolio Advisors and Advisors Asset Management says that -- while many people look at the market's returns in January and expect them to dictate the year -- he believes the current rally is setting the stage for 2024, showing the market's resilience. He is re-setting support levels to the market's July summer highs, and he thinks that it will keep bouncing back, making the market outlook for the year ahead pretty solid. Also on the show, John Cole Scott, president of Closed-End Fund Advisors, looks back at how the closed-end fund industry bounced back from the challenges of a terrible year in 2022, and how his forecasts from a year ago -- including his five funds for 2023 -- have played out. Plus, Chuck goes over his financial to-do list for the new year, 15 items that all savers, consumers and investors could take on to gain better control of their finances and to make more of their money.

Veteran money-manager Louis Navellier, president of Navellier & Associates, says he hasn't seen "a real blow-out year since '99; I think we're overdue for one of those kind of years." He says that the market currently is grossly undervalued relative to interest rates and he says that small cap stocks could go up "100 percent or more," but he is also calling for a strong year for big stocks, oil and energy companies and he says the Magnificent Seven stocks are likely to keep rolling. Also on the show, Tom Lydon of VettaFi turns to small-cap -- but a specialized small-company fund that focuses on dividend payers while trying to mute volatility -- as his ETF of the Week, and James Royal discusses a recent Bankrate.com survey showing that more than half of Americans sought out financial advice in 2023, though they didn't all turn to good sources to get it.

Kristina Hooper, chief global market strategist at Invesco, says there will be some damage to the economy -- worse than a soft landing -- but she thinks the economy can put off recession until at least 2025. Hooper says the new year should be an improving year for consumers with real wage growth rising as the disinflationary process continues; she thinks that improvement will cause an increase in spending, with the trigger being interest-rate cuts which she expects to start in the second quarter. Also on the show, Dan Griffith, director of wealth strategy at Huntington Private Bank, taks about the "tax sunset" and how investors and consumers want to start thinking now about rules that are changing at the end of 2024, because there will be a segment of the population -- particularly the wealthy -- who will pay a penalty if they are caught unaware of how rules will revert to past standards barring action from Congress. Plus Chuck talks about the systems he has used for setting annual goals and how it is better to set goals than make resolutions if you want to make real change in your life in the year ahead.

Mary Ellen Stanek, co-chief investment officer at Baird Advisors -- a firm known best for bond investing -- says the Federal Reserve has delivered better than expected results, and while there is plenty of expectation of a reasonably soft landing, buckle up and protect your portfolio because volatility won't be going away even as the economy and the market revert to their long-term historical trends for key indicators like growth, inflation and more. With just days left on the 2023 calendar, Kelly Lannan discusses Fidelity's annual resolution survey, which shows that struggles with inflation have more people looking at setting financial goals this year, although many may have lowered their sights in picking targets for the year ahead. Plus, hedge-fund manager Lukasz Tomicki of LRT Capital Management talks stocks in the Market Call.

Avi Gilburt, founder of the Elliott Wave Trader, expects the stock market to reach new highs, but thinks the current rally will carry to those record levels by no later than the second quarter of 2024, after which he says "a bear market is going to be in our future." Additionally, he says there will be a banking crisis that is part of the bear market, notig that systemic issues with the banking system will create trouble that "will likely be worse than what we saw in 2008," when troubles in the financials sector were cornerstone to the Great Financial Crisis. Brenda Langenfeld, portfolio manager for Nuveen, says that banking environment will actually create opportunities for investors in preferred securities, noting that heightened banking regulatory oversight will be favorable for credit investors, that positive fundamentals suggest stability and growth and that valuations are at levels "that present a capital appreciation opportunity over the next year." Also on the show: Charles Rotblut discusses the latest sentiment survey from the American Association of Individual Investors, which shows levels of bullishness at their highest levels in more than two and a half years, and portfolio manager Francisco Bido of F/m Acceleration brings his quant-active investment style to the Market Call.