Staying Positive Amid the Endless Negatives

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Despite the sometimes bleak outlook, I actually try to maintain a positive attitude about life. Markets are what they are, and we can't change that, but we can strive to stay upbeat. I know it's challenging, but it's something we all must work on, regardless of our financial situation.

Yesterday, I was talking to the PitBull about his trades, and he asked me how I was feeling after the accident. I assured him I'll be okay and not to worry. You know what he said? "I worry about everything," and then he offered to pay for my nose surgery.

I'm not sure if this is so much about getting older as it is about how rapidly things have changed since the COVID-19 outbreak. While life has returned to some semblance of normalcy, it's not the old normal; it's a new kind of normal. One where laws are enacted but not always enforced, where geopolitics and the specter of nuclear war loom daily, where the dollar's dominance is questioned, and where national debt climbs towards $37 trillion... the list goes on.

That being said, it's astonishing to believe that the S&P achieved its 38th record close. It's incredible that the previously beleaguered Russell saw its 5th consecutive session of gains, rising 3.5% in a single day and outperforming the Nasdaq Composite by approximately 11% over the past five trading days — the greatest outperformance since December 2020. Additionally, it's remarkable that the Russell has outpaced the S&P by about 10% over the same period, marking the widest five-day outperformance on record, according to Dow Jones Market Data.