Renewed concerns about stretched U.S. equity valuations are colliding with one of the strongest seasonal periods of the year. In this week’s Portfolio Playbook, Damanick Dantes, CMT discusses why bearish sentiment often precedes market recoveries — and how relative strength trends are shifting beyond the U.S. Victor Zhou, Portfolio Strategist at Dantes Outlook, joins to share how the firm’s systematic framework is positioning for global opportunity while maintaining a disciplined, risk-aware approach.

Damanick Dantes, CMT breaks down the quiet shifts happening beneath the surface of the stock market. U.S. high-beta stocks have been leading, but narrow market breadth raises the question — how long can a few names carry the rally? Damanick explains why healthy bull markets need rotation, how cyclical sectors can signal renewed optimism, and why quality companies — those with strong balance sheets and durable profits — are worth watching in this late-cycle phase. Plus, we look at how global value stocks in Europe and emerging markets may offer diversification as leadership broadens beyond U.S. tech.

Treasuries are defying October norms, gold is stretched, and key correlations are shifting. Dantes Outlook explores how moderating inflation, a softening labor market, and fading yields are creating a late-cycle environment that rewards selective risk-taking. Tune in for actionable insights on bonds, metals, and portfolio positioning — with full details available for premium subscribers.

Dantes Outlook's Q3 2025 Market Intelligence Report is live—a quarterly assessment of global markets through the lens of our trend, momentum, and dispersion models. This quarter’s findings point to narrowing dispersion across asset classes, with metals, long-duration Treasuries, and select emerging markets showing improving signals. Meanwhile, U.S. large caps remain stretched, and the dollar’s stabilization may set the stage for rotation into undervalued assets. The full report, including model outputs, z-score rankings, and portfolio implications, is available exclusively to Dantes Outlook clients and Substack subscribers.

Fresh off his travels to Riyadh and Dubai, Dantes Outlook founder Damanick Dantes, CMT joins host Isaac Diop for a special edition of Portfolio Playbook. As a speaker at the 2025 CMT Global Investment Summit, Damanick shares his first-hand perspectives on the Middle East’s fast-evolving investment landscape — from shifting regional capital flows to the global appetite for diversification beyond the U.S.

Damanick Dantes, CMT and Abdulelah Alfouzan, CMT discuss the dynamics shaping Saudi and global markets. From growth initiatives and sector opportunities to building a global cross-asset framework, Abdulelah shares how technical analysis can guide investors in a unique regional environment. This was an exciting discussion, which also outlined Saudi Arabia's hashtag#Vision2030 initiatives. This episode also looks ahead to the upcoming CMT Association, Inc. conferences in Riyadh and Dubai, and the vision for strengthening the CMT community in the Kingdom.

In this episode of Portfolio Playbook, host Damanick Dantes, CMT reviews the latest cross-asset signals, including insights on bond market positioning, Fed policy expectations, and the role of active management in fixed income. Asia correspondent Elena Zeng then breaks down what’s driving Chinese equities, the narrowing gap between onshore and offshore markets, and why exposure to emerging markets should remain tactical.

In this special Lead Up to Dubai episode, host Damanick Dantes, CMT is joined by Yara Fanek, CFA, CMT, an FX trader and co-chair of Women in Technical Analysis - a committee of the CMT Association. Based in Dubai with deep expertise in financial markets and investment banking, Yara shares her background, trading process, and outlook for the region. Together, they explore the $7 trillion FX market, the role of technical analysis in building disciplined strategies, and how Dubai is positioning itself as a leading global financial hub.

In this episode of Portfolio Playbook, host Damanick Dantes, founder and portfolio manager at Dantes Outlook, is joined by portfolio strategist Victor Zhou to discuss the challenges and opportunities shaping global portfolios. They examine stretched U.S. equity valuations, the role of the “Mag-7” in driving market extremes, and the contrasting opportunities in Europe and emerging markets. The discussion highlights how currency shifts, sector dynamics, and diversification strategies—including trend-following and tactical ETF allocations—can help investors navigate today’s uncertain environment.

In this episode of Portfolio Playbook, Damanick Dantes, CMT breaks down the latest market developments and what they mean for investors. From the Fed’s cautious stance on rate cuts to stretched equity positioning and renewed momentum in Chinese markets, he highlights where risks and opportunities lie. The discussion then turns to fixed income, where today’s yield environment presents a “sweet spot” in the belly of the curve, and why bonds are once again a stabilizing force for portfolios. Finally, he considers the challenges active managers face in an equity market dominated by the Magnificent Seven and where selective opportunities remain.

In this episode of Portfolio Playbook, host Damanick Dantes, CMT discusses the latest market signals—from strong equity breadth to persistent U.S. inflation pressures—and how they’re shaping portfolio positioning. The conversation covers tactical moves into U.S. equities, emerging markets, and semiconductors, along with structural shifts in bond trading and investor behavior. Listeners gain perspective on how to stay adaptive and disciplined in a market that often looks forward before the data does.

In this episode of Portfolio Playbook, host Damanick Dantes, CMT breaks down the macro and market forces driving recent allocation shifts in the Dantes Outlook ETF Portfolio. We explore improving credit quality, renewed opportunities in fixed income, and model-based macro positioning from DeepMacro. Damanick explains how currency correlations shape portfolio tilts and why traditional trend-following is struggling in 2025. Later, Victor Zhou, portfolio strategist at Dantes Outlook, joins to discuss a State Street framework for emerging market investing — including how higher activeness and EM small caps can enhance alpha potential and resilience.

In this episode of Portfolio Playbook, Damanick Dantes breaks down how a late-stage trade truce, rising margin debt, and hawkish central banks are influencing global asset allocation. With insights from Deutsche Bank, SentimenTrader, and the Dantes Outlook team, he explains what’s behind the recent market highs—and where signs of exhaustion are showing up. Learn how Dantes Outlook is adjusting its ETF model portfolios across equities, bonds, and commodities to stay disciplined in an increasingly speculative environment.

In this episode, Damanick Dantes breaks down the week’s biggest market movers—from a major U.S.–Japan trade deal to the return of meme stock mania—and how central banks are shifting their tone. He also shares insights from Deutsche Bank, Vanguard, DeepMacro, and members of the Dantes Outlook team on what’s driving asset class performance and how portfolios should adapt. It’s a concise, strategic guide to cutting through the noise and making smarter investment decisions.

Today, we explore global energy through the lens of Russia, the world’s largest exporter of oil and gas. And to the west is Europe, which is heavily reliant on Russian gas supplies. According to some estimates, Russia is earning roughly $500 million per day on oil and another $400 million on gas all together. But gas flows from Russia to Europe were already declining into the Q4 heating season last year. Flows flattened out earlier this year, and recently ticked downward. To help us understand the Russia/EU gas market, we turn to Nadia Kazakova, an analyst at Renaissance Energy Advisors (REA). Nadia is an expert in this field with prior roles at JP Morgan and Saxo Bank. She also provides in depth analysis on operating stats from Gazprom, Russia’s majority state-owned energy company.

In this month’s episode I’ll provide a brief outlook for commodity markets from our strategy desk. Oil was the clear winner over the past three months, which accounted for most of the gains in the broad commodity index. Most price signals have extended into overbought territory, although pullbacks could be temporary over the next quarter. Elsewhere, metals have stabilized and oversold signals could present buying opportunities. ​​Over the short-term commodity prices should trade at a premium given supply risk and geopolitical issues. Long-term (two-three years), the effects of slowing economic growth as a result of tighter monetary policy and inflation could weigh on commodity prices, especially as recession signals advance.

Dr. Lev Borodovsky, editor of The Daily Shot newsletter returns to the show to help us unpack geopolitical and macroeconomic developments. The threat of rising inflation, slowing economic growth, and conflicts in Russia and Ukraine have kept investors on edge. But over time, markets can adjust to higher volatility as valuations normalize. Lev has been busy gathering insight across Wall Street – a great value to our listeners and investors! Make sure to subscribe to The Daily Shot.

Today, we’re talking about volatility. It’s well known that markets ebb and flow, but over the past 25 years or so, there has been a pattern of spectacular rises and crashes. And that comes at the expense of decaying economic growth and central banks becoming the leaders of last resort. To understand why this is happening, we turn to Tim Lee, the author of The Rise of Carry.

Happy new year! In this episode, I'll provide an overview of commodity market performance in Q4 and expectations going forward. The commodity price rally appears to be slowing, which could point to lower returns this year. The copper/gold ratio, a gauge for risk-on/risk-off, is testing resistance similar to 2018, which preceded pullbacks across risk assets including equities and commodities.

In this month’s episode, we’re joined by Lydia Idem, an investment advisor and venture capital fund manager. Lydia has founded, advised and invested in startups for the past 25 years. And recently, Lydia expanded her portfolio into Africa. We discussed investment trends and how she plans to make a bigger footprint on the continent.