The Annex Wealth Management SWOT Podcast
Join the members of the Annex Wealth Management Investment Team as they discuss the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in the markets and economy.
Monday, October 26th. The Labor Market Refuses to Crack
Featuring Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
Monday, October 19th. Inflation Not Going On Vacation.
Featuring Annex Investment Team's Nick Hillstrom.
Strengths
Energy sector leadership: Energy has been the best-performing sector year-to-date, supported by the sharp rise in oil prices and strong results from energy companies.Solid bank earnings overall: Major banks largely reported strong results. Goldman Sachs delivered a historic beat (especially in equities trading), and Morgan Stanley also showed strength in equities trading.Bond maturity mechanics: Bonds generally mature at par value. Holding to maturity allows investors to receive full principal back while reinvesting coupons (and eventually principal) at todayâs higher yields.Weaknesses
Elevated oil prices an...Monday, October 12th. The Meaningful Differences with Treasury Yields
The episode reviews current market and economic conditions through the SWOT lens, focusing on recent S&P 500 records, the job market, earnings season, yields, and the Fed outlook.
Strengths
The S&P 500 closed at a record 7,819 on Tuesday, October 6 (with intraday peaks above 7,844), reflecting genuine profit growth concentrated in technology, communication services, and energy.â Â Early Q3 earnings reports have been solid. PepsiCo shares rose 4% after beating on organic revenue, net revenue, and EPS, with few broad signals of weakness heading into the full season.Layoffs remain low: Initial jobless claims fell to 197,000 (beating forecasts of 200,000) for the...Monday, October 5th. Have You Seen Mortgage Rates?
Annex Wealth Management SWOT podcast for Monday, October 6, with chief economic strategist Brian Jacobson on fourth-quarter strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Strengths: a soft payroll print that the Fed is treating as fine. Nonfarm payrolls rose only 29,000, which would have looked weak in past cycles, but it drew little reaction. The Fed is between meetings and has already said the cumulative improvement in the labor market is enough; its focus is inflation. The old rule of thumb that the economy needed roughly 100,000â125,000 jobs a month to hold unemployment steady is outdated. With slower immigration and an aging wo...
Monday, September 28th. The Mega-IPO Wave for AI.
Associate research analyst Mark Schaefer joined the episode to walk through strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Strengths
Corporate earnings are very strong. About 86% of S&P 500 companies beat Q2 estimates â the highest share since Q2 2021 â and analysts expect roughly 30% full-year 2026 earnings growth (FactSet). Higher profits support stock prices and mechanically pull P/E multiples down because earnings sit in the denominator.
The job market is also holding up, with unemployment forecasts steady around 4.1%. That stability supports consumer confidence and spending, which remains a core driver of the economy.
Weaknesses
Valuations remain elevated. The S&P 50...
Monday, September 21st. Who's the Real Winner This Year?
Featuring Chief Investment Officer, Derek Felske.
Monday, September 14th. Energy Is the Quiet Winner
Featuring Annex Wealth Management Research Analyst, Nick Hillstrom.
Monday, September 7th. The Yield Surge and the Jobs Surprise.
Featuring Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Monday, August 31st. Strength Out of the Software Sector.
Featuring Annex Research Analyst, Nick Hillstrom.
Monday, August 24th. The Lesson in Diversification.
Featuring Chief Investment Officer, Derek Felske.
Monday, August 17th. Inflation Cools, But Prices Still Up.
Featuring Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
Monday, August 10th. Earnings Roundup.
Featuring Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Monday, August 3rd. The Fed Stays Quiet, Earnings Results In.
Featuring Chief Investment Officer, Derek Felske.
Monday, July 27th. Strong Earnings Fuel Investor Confidence
Featuring Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
Monday, July 20th. Big Banks, Oil and Earnings.
Featuring Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Monday, July 13th. AI Winners, Energy Risks & Fed Change.
Featuring Research Analyst, Mark Schaefer.
America Turns 250. What Has the Economy Learned?
Featuring Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Non-Tech Strength, AI Pricing Weakness, Oil Opportunity, Inflation Threat
In this weekâs Annex Wealth Management SWOT Podcast, Annex Wealth Management's Research Analyst Jacob Johnson breaks down the latest market and economic signals.
Strengths
Non-tech and non-AI sectors displayed solid resilience amid last weekâs tech volatility. Despite the Nasdaq dropping ~5%, investors didnât run to cash â they simply rotated into other areas of the market, signaling underlying stability and continued confidence.
Weaknesses
AI cost pressures are now reaching consumers. Apple and Microsoft raised prices on devices due to surging memory and storage costs, sparking fears of demand destruction and triggering sell-offs (Apple fe...
Retail Sales Up, Housing Down and Relief at the Pump.
Featuring Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Monday, June 15th. Space X Launches. What Do We Know?
Featuring Annex Research Analyst, Nick Hillstrom.
Monday, June 8th. Blockbuster Corporate Earnings.
Featuring Annex Associate Research Analyst, Mark Schaefer.
Monday, June 1st. AI Boom Meets Inflation Shock
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Investment Officer, Derek Felske.
Monday, May 25th. Holiday Creep Spending and Spring Opportunities.
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Monday, May 18th. Federal Reserve Reset
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Research Analyst, Nick Hillstrom.
Monday, May 11th. The Housing Market is Back in the Deep Freeze
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
Monday, May 4th. A New Fed Chair, A New Economy?
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Is AI Finally Paying Up?
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Trader, Mark Schaefer.
Geopolitical Anxiety
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
Oil and AI. What to Watch.
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
What Did the Job's Numbers Tell Us?
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
The Pick-and-Shovel Winners Are Still Winning
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson. Markets are fragmenting fast: while software stocks slide into a fullâblown bear market, pickâandâshovel AI infrastructure names, from semiconductors to power and optical networking, are quietly carrying the upside. Earnings leadership is broadening beyond megaâcap tech, making the market more resilient, but pressure is building from a flattening yield curve, stressed private credit, and rising geopolitical risk. Everything now hinges on the Strait of Hormuz, because a real deâescalation could unlock a powerful relief rally, while prolonged conflict could keep oil, yields, and volatility locked in a...
Deteriorating Free Cash Flow Among AI Spenders
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Investment Officer, Derek Felske. We are seeing a collision between the massive potential of AI-driven productivity and the inflationary shocks of a new, more aggressive geopolitical era. Remain selective, know what you own and why.
Narrow Job Growth and AI-Driven Productivity.
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Mark Schaefer, Trader at Annex Wealth Management.
Are Online Purchases Winning?
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Economic Strategist, Dr. Brian Jacobsen.
Sticky Inflation 2.0
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Chief Investment Officer, Derek Felske.
Where Money Is Going and Why It Matters
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
AI Shockwaves Reshape Market Winners Again
Will Gold Keep Going?
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Dr. Brian Jacobsen, Chief Economic Strategist.
Selective Strength in an AI Market
Hosted by Joe Krauss and Assistant Research Analyst, Jacob Johnson.
Software Sell-Off Can Lead To Compelling Investments
Hosted by Nick Hillstrom, Research Analyst.
