The Closer – First Half Close, Weak Dollar, AI Ideas – 6/30/25

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Looking for deeper insight into markets? In tonight’s Closer sent to Bespoke Institutional clients, we begin with a recap of first quarter performance (page 1) including a look at the historically bad start for the dollar (page 2) and underperformance of US equities relative to the rest of the world (page 3). Next, we check in on the performance of our AI baskets (page 4) including a look at some other under the radar AI plays (page 5). We finish with a review of the latest manufacturing data (page 6).

See today’s full post-market Closer and everything else Bespoke publishes by starting a 14-day trial to Bespoke Institutional today!

Bespoke’s Morning Lineup – 6/30/25 – Resume the Counting!

See what’s driving market performance around the world in today’s Morning Lineup. Bespoke’s Morning Lineup is the best way to start your trading day. Read it now by starting a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium.  CLICK HERE to learn more and start your trial.

“It would be good to be a fake somebody rather than a real nobody.” – Mike Tyson

Morning stock market summary

Below is a snippet of commentary from today’s Morning Lineup. Start a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium to view the full report.  

The market enthusiasm that took the S&P 500 to new highs last Friday has followed through to the new week as the S&P 500 looks to gap up about 0.5% at the open. Financials are leading this morning’s gains as the Fed announced last Friday that all of the banks passed the stress tests. Goldman Sachs (GS) is leading the way with gains of over 3%, but all of the other major banks and brokers are up around 1% or more.

The only economic indicators on the calendar this morning are the Chicago PMI at 9:45 and the Dallas Fed Manufacturing report at 10:30. Washington will be a focus for the market today as investors look to see if the Senate can pass a version of the GOP tax bill.

Last Friday’s close in the S&P 500 marked the first new all-time closing high for the S&P 500 in over four months and now fully puts the tariff-induced near-bear market in the rearview mirror.  It also completes one of the more stunning market cycles where the S&P 500 experienced one of its sharpest sell-offs from an all-time high on record, followed by one of its swiftest rebounds.

With the new high, we can also resume the count of new all-time closing highs for the S&P 500, which for 2025 now totals four. That may sound like a meager number, but two months ago, the thought of new highs for the S&P 500 seemed like a pipe dream. With roughly 125 trading days left in the year, we’re unlikely to get anywhere near last year’s total of 57 record closing highs this year, but you have to start somewhere.

The Bespoke Report – Equity Market Pros and Cons – Q3 2025

This week’s Bespoke Report is an updated version of our “Pros and Cons” edition for Q3 2025.

With this report, you’re able to get a complete picture of the bull and bear case for US stocks right now.  It’s heavy on graphics and light on text, but we let the charts and tables do the talking!

On page three of the report, you’ll see a full list of the pros and cons that we lay out.  Slides for each topic are then provided on page four and beyond.

To read this report and access everything else Bespoke’s research platform has to offer, sign up for Bespoke’s 50/20 special today.  Our 50/20 special gets you a full year of Premium for half off, then 20% off per month after the first year.  SIGN UP HERE.

Below is a look at the performance of key ETFs across asset classes so far in Q2 and year-to-date.

After a very rough March and early April, equities both domestically and globally have surged since.  The S&P 500 (SPY) is currently up more than 10% in Q2 with just one full trading day left on Monday.  The Tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (QQQ) is up much more at 17.4%, while the Semis (SMH) are up more than 30%.

As good as it has been in the US, it has been an even better first half and second quarter for much of the rest of the world.  The All World ex US ETF (CWI) is up 18.5% on the year versus a gain of 5.7% for the US (SPY), and countries like Germany (EWG), Italy (EWI), Mexico (EWW), and Spain (EWP) are sitting on 30%+ YTD gains.

As a reminder, quarterly rallies this strong aren’t the norm, so enjoy it but don’t get too cocky heading into Q3.  Mr. Market loves serving humble pie to the face of investors that think they have it all figured out.

Bespoke’s Morning Lineup – 6/27/25 – Lockstep

See what’s driving market performance around the world in today’s Morning Lineup. Bespoke’s Morning Lineup is the best way to start your trading day. Read it now by starting a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium.  CLICK HERE to learn more and start your trial.

“If we really want to know who is responsible for the mess we’re in, all we have to do is look in the mirror.” – Ross Perot

Morning stock market summary

Below is a snippet of commentary from today’s Morning Lineup. Start a two-week trial to Bespoke Premium to view the full report.  

Less than three months after President Trump unleashed “Liberation Day” on the world and sent the S&P 500 plunging by nearly 20%, a new phrase has made its way back into the lexicon: new highs. Equity futures are higher this morning, with the S&P 500 trading at record highs following a strong session in Europe. Treasury yields and crude oil are modestly higher, while gold is plunging over 1% as investors continue to exit safe-haven trades.

For these new highs to hold through the closing bell, we still have to navigate a decent amount of economic data for a summer Friday with reports of Personal Income, Personal Spending, and PCE at 8:30, followed by Michigan Sentiment at 10 AM.  The 8:30 data was mixed but mostly in the wrong direction. Personal Income came in sharply weaker than expected, falling 0.4% versus expectations for an increase of 0.3%. Personal Spending fell 0.1% compared to expectations for an increase of 0.1%. On the inflation front, headline PCE was right inline with expectations at 0.1% m/m and 2.3% y/y, but the core reading was a tenth higher than expected on both a m/m and y/y basis at 0.2% and 2.7%, respectively. The initial reactions to the data have been pretty muted.

Looking at US equity market performance, we were struck by how uniform the gains have been over the last five trading sessions. All fourteen of the index ETFs in our Trend Analyzer screen have gained at least 2%.  At the top of the list, both ends of the market cap spectrum are represented with Microcaps (IWC) up 3.4% while megacaps in the Nasdaq and S&P 100 are the second and third best performers with gains of 3.26% and 2.90%, respectively. Relative to their short-term trading ranges, all fourteen index ETFs are at similarly overbought levels, and they are all at least 4% above their 50-day moving averages. The only area that returns haven’t been uniform is on a YTD basis, where the Nasdaq 100 is up 6.8% while small caps are in the red.

The Closer – Growth Woes, Hard vs Soft, Shorts – 6/26/25

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Looking for deeper insight into markets? In tonight’s Closer sent to Bespoke Institutional clients, after beginning with a recap of the latest spending bill drama, Fedspeak, and GDP revisions (page 1), we review jobless claims data (page 2). After that, we check in on the conflicting signals in hard and soft data (page 3) before closing out with an update on the newest short interest figures (pages 4 and 5).

See today’s full post-market Closer and everything else Bespoke publishes by starting a 14-day trial to Bespoke Institutional today!

Q2 2025 Earnings Conference Call Recaps: FedEx (FDX)

Bespoke’s Conference Call Recaps use AI to summarize lengthy earnings calls. The commentary below is AI-generated and then edited by Bespoke for quality control. As always, none of these summaries should be construed as recommendations to buy or sell any securities, and investors should do their own research and/or consult with a financial professional before making any investment decisions.

Our latest recap available to Bespoke subscribers covers FedEx’s (FDX) Q4 2025 earnings call.

FedEx Corporation (FDX) is a global logistics and transportation company that provides express delivery, freight, and e-commerce services across more than 220 countries and territories. Known for its vast and flexible global network, FedEx connects over 3 million shippers to 225 million consumers and moves $2 trillion worth of goods annually. The company serves a wide range of customers, from large multinationals to small businesses, offering integrated logistics, supply chain solutions, and advanced digital tools to navigate increasingly complex trade environments. FedEx posted a modest 1% revenue growth in Q4 FY2025 amid a volatile global trade landscape, with strong execution driving an 8% increase in adjusted operating income. Tariff disruptions sharply reduced China-to-US volumes, but still, FedEx maintained flexibility, increasing US domestic parcel volume by 6%, and made further progress on its $4B cost-reduction DRIVE initiative. Healthcare and auto logistics were standouts, with $9B in healthcare revenue and GM naming FedEx Supplier of the Year. The Freight spin-off remains on track for June 2026…

Continue reading our Conference Call Recap for FDX by becoming a Bespoke Institutional subscriber. You can sign up for Bespoke Institutional now and receive a 14-day trial to read our newest Conference Call Recap.  To sign up, choose either the monthly or annual checkout link below:

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