Insights
Market updates & commentary
What we're watching, what it means for your money, and how to think about the retirement account you left behind.
Market Notes
The Test: How a Bubble Shakes Out the Leveraged Bulls
George Soros's reflexivity playbook, five historical tests of major trends, and a live seven-check scorecard for the 2026 AI trade.
Drew SweetmanNovember 6, 20266 min read
Market Notes
Anatomy of a Stock Buyback Death Spiral
S&P 500 companies spent over $900 billion on stock buybacks in 2024. Learn how to tell when share repurchases create value for shareholders — and when debt-funded buybacks signal a dangerous death spiral that could collapse a company’s stock price.
March 29, 202611 min read
Market Notes
Is the Bull Market Over? What the Data Actually Says
ELEMENT SQUARED PRIVATE WEALTH Is the Bull Market Over? What the Data Actually Says March 13, 2026 If you’ve been watching the market lately, you’ve probably seen the headlines: “Stocks Tumble,” “Wall Street Fears Grow,” “Is a Bear Market Coming?” It’s easy to get caught up in th…
March 13, 20265 min read