In partnership with
Market Volatility Exposes Weak Delegation
When markets get shaky, advisors don’t just manage portfolios. They manage fear, questions, follow-up and a flood of client communication.
That’s where weak delegation gets expensive.
If meeting prep, paperwork, CRM updates and account admin still run through you, response times slip and the client experience takes the hit.
BELAY created the free Financial Advisor’s Delegation Guide to help you identify what to hand off, what to keep and how to stay client-facing without losing control.
Inside, you’ll learn how to reduce bottlenecks, protect responsiveness and free up more time for the work only you should be doing.
MARKETS
The Strait of Hormuz is open again for commercial shipping, triggering a sharp drop in oil prices and easing near-term inflation fears, fueling a broad rally and fresh record highs in major indexes as the markets erased the losses influenced by the US-Iran conflict. Next, we’ll be watching how this cools inflation and the subsequent Feds response interest rates.
EARNIGNS SEASON IS UNDERWAY
Heading
Earnings season has kicked off and with 10% of the S&P 500 reporting, and things are very positive. 88% of the companies that have reported beat earnings estimates, which is above the 5-year average of 78%.
Big Banks reported earnings above estimates but they expressed uncertainty for the near future. Here are last week’s results for the big banks that reported earnings:
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. $GS ( ▲ 0.85% ) - +2%
Beat expectations, including a big jump in investment banking fees.
Citi Group $C ( ▲ 1.36% ) - +6.26%
Citi posted a strong profit beat and reported its highest quarterly revenue in a decade due to higher investment banking revenue.
JPMorgan Chase & Co $JPM ( ▲ 0.24% ) - +0.14%
Reported profit above expectations and highlighted that its trading business had a record quarter. It also saw a jump in investment banking fees noting an increase in deal activity.
Wells Fargo $WFC ( ▲ 1.67% ) - -4.67%
Wells Fargo reported higher profit, but the market focused on misses in revenue and interest income.
Netflix $NFLX ( ▲ 2.26% ) reported beat expectations for revenue and profit but investors were concerned about the outlook as revenue growth is expected to slowdown. As a high flying stock for the last few years, it traded at a premium. To continue trading at high premiums, you’ll need to communicate future high performance and deliver. The guidance given shows they are not as optimistic, causing the stock to slide -5.53% this week.
ECONOMIC UPDATE
What happened this week (and impact):
March CPI re-accelerated: CPI rose 0.9% in March; 3.3% last year, up from 2.4% year to year in February. Energy was the story: gasoline jumped 21.2% in March (seasonally adjusted), driving most of the monthly increase.
Consumer mood remains fragile: University of Michigan consumer sentiment fell to 47.6, a record low in that series—highlighting how energy-price stress feeds straight into confidence.
Expected impact: If oil stays lower after this week’s geopolitical turn, the next inflation prints could look less alarming than March—supportive for bonds and rate-sensitive sectors. But if energy re-spikes, the CPI re-acceleration becomes a policy problem again.
What’s coming next week (and why it matters):
U.S. Retail Sales (Mar): a key read on whether high gas prices are denting spending.
S&P Global PMIs: timely signal on growth momentum amid the energy shock and supply-chain uncertainty.
More earnings (including major tech): guidance will determine whether this rally can hold as 93 more S&P 500 companies are scheduled to release earnings this week.
TOP 3 PERFORMING S&P 500 STOCKS THIS WEEK
1) Oracle (ORCL) +26.8%
Oracle is becoming a real player in the AI and data-center buildout, especially as companies look for places to run and store massive amounts of computing capability. Investors believe the business can grow faster without sacrificing profitability so they’re willing to pay a premium for the stock.
2) Tesla (TSLA) +15%
Tesla’s move was based on the fact it has been beaten down lately and investors having more confidence since geopolitical issues cooled.
3) AMD (AMD) 14%
AMD rose because the market was back in “AI infrastructure” mode and AMD is one of the main companies investors look at when they want exposure beyond the usual names. When investors believe AI spending is continuing, they tend to bid up the whole group: chips, servers, and data-center infrastructure. AMD is a key competitor in the hardware that powers modern computing.