Markets are reminding investors that quality matters. Given recent headlines, including the bankruptcies of Tricolor Holdings and First Brands Group, financials remain under scrutiny this earnings season.

Markets are shifting from a macro focus to a micro one. After months dominated by headlines on inflation, policy, and interest rates, the start of earnings season will bring attention back to company fundamentals.

Markets gained last week as quiet but uneasy optimism spread across global assets. With the U.S. government shutdown limiting key data releases, investors turned their attention to inflation hedges, particularly gold and crypto.

Markets paused last week as the government shutdown added to an already noisy backdrop. When uncertainty rises, it rarely stays contained. It spreads across prices, sectors, and investor psychology.

“Bond market, we hardly knew thee.” In true Hamlet fashion, the plot twist this week was that as “lower” rate headlines flashed across screens, bonds still sold off.