Better Late Than Never (Risk)

Traveling with the family is fun... Four stars.

Action to Take: Holiday-shortened weeks often bring unexpected volatility. With core PCE data due Wednesday, markets closed Thursday, and only opening half a day Friday, watch for amplified moves due to thin trading.

Between Russia's escalating nuclear posture and gold's largest weekly surge in over a year, safety trades signal growing institutional concern. For a deeper dive into what's really driving these moves, check out our series on Michael Howell's Capital Wars - understanding global liquidity flows has never been more critical as we navigate this increasingly complex market environment. I’ll break the book down chapter by chapter this week to make it easier to follow—you can get started with Chapter 1 here… and Chapter 2 right here.

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Momentum: Major indices power higher to start the shortened week, with S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Russell 2000 all showing strength. Consumer Discretionary leads the charge while Tech bounces back after Nvidia-driven volatilit…