Commentary and Research Papers
August 19, 2025
2024
Stocks were mixed in June, with large cap stocks continuing to lead while small cap stocks lagged behind. Inflation data improved during the month, with the Federal Reserve’s favorite inflation indicator, the core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCE), posting its lowest year-over-year increase in over three years. Still, the persistent lack of clarity regarding overall economic activity held back any positive sentiment that might have come from better inflation data.
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August 19, 2025
2024
The Small Cap Value portfolio ended the quarter on a down note, similar to the Russell 2000 and Russell 2000 Value Indices. We lagged the benchmarks for the month due to weaker results in Energy and Communication Services. Our Energy stocks declined after a strong performance in May, and our Communication Services stocks, which focus on the small business market, were negatively impacted by another month of weak small business sentiment.
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August 19, 2025
2024
Major US equity indices put in a mixed performance in Q2, with the Dow falling (1.7%), while major performance contributions from some of the Magnificent 7 stocks helped drive the S&P and Nasdaq 3.9% and 8.3% higher, respectively. Many commentators aired concerns about market breadth as the official market cap-weighted S&P bested its equal-weight variant by nearly seven percentage points in the quarter.
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August 19, 2025
2024
Exposure to innovative and transformative biotechnology companies has been a part of Pinnacle’s SMID investment strategy since our portfolio’s inception in 1996. Without a doubt, some of our most successful investments have come from this industry. Surprisingly, we have learned over the years that most investment managers avoid biotech stocks due to the inherent binary risks that come with drug development. We wanted to discuss why we think that the opportunity set is constructive.
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August 19, 2025
2024
For most, Texas conjures images of cowboys, oil, and barbeque -- not ticker tape and fast-paced securities trading. That could soon change if BlackRock, the world’s biggest money manager, and Citadel Securities, one of the largest electronic trading firms, have anything to say about it. The two financial heavyweights are leading a group backing The Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), which has raised $120M to launch a 100% electronic trading exchange, with a physical presence in downtown Dallas. The TXSE plans to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) later this year with a goal of beginning trading in 2025 and listing companies in 2026.
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August 19, 2025
2024
Stocks bounced back in May, as more constructive inflation data offered hope that an economic soft landing was still possible. In fact, a soft landing once again became the consensus expectation, with inflation leveling off and the economy showing continued resilience in the face of the Fed’s aggressive rate tightening campaign of the last two years. Corporate profits also came in better than expected, with 1Q earnings on track to grow at a 6% rate year over year, its fastest quarterly pace in two years. Lastly, the geopolitical backdrop quieted down somewhat, offering a welcome (if temporary) respite from the troubling headlines over the past year.
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