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Sevens Report Warns Early-2026 Inflation Signals Are Flashing Red – Business Insider

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Tom Essaye says sector leadership and market rotation echo the painful setup of 2022.

The stock market is flashing a signal that inflation may be poised to spike

Early market action in 2026 is sending a cautionary signal on inflation, according to Tom Essaye of Sevens Report Research, who says investors may be underestimating the risk of a difficult year ahead.

Essaye notes that energy and materials stocks have surged more than 9% year to date, dramatically outperforming the S&P 500’s modest gain. Historically, strength in these sectors has often preceded broader inflation pressures, as higher energy and materials costs filter through supply chains and lift prices across the economy.

In Essaye’s view, the move is especially notable because it has received little attention from market participants so far. He argues that energy prices influence nearly every component of global commerce, while materials costs quietly add upward pressure to inflation through higher input expenses. Together, their strong performance is not something investors should dismiss as the first quarter unfolds.

Adding to the concern is a clear shift in market leadership. Essaye highlights a rotation away from mega-cap growth stocks and toward value, small caps, transportation stocks, and equal-weight indexes. Recent outperformance in benchmarks like the S&P 500 equal-weight index, the Russell 2000, and value-focused ETFs suggests that capital is moving toward areas that often lead during more inflationary or unstable periods.

That combination of sector leadership and early-year money flows reminds Essaye of the setup in early 2022, a year that proved especially damaging for traditional 60/40 stock-and-bond portfolios. While he is not calling for an immediate downturn, Essaye cautions that these dynamics raise the risk of a repeat scenario if inflation pressures continue to build.

Also, click here to view the full article published in Business Insider on January 24th, 2026. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Tom Essaye warns the AI-stock index is flashing bubble risk

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The AI trade could be inflating a late-cycle stock market bubble, warns Tom Essaye, founder of Sevens Report Research.

‘This bull market in equities has a serious problem’: Strategist warns a crucial AI-stock index is sending a potential bubble signal

In an August 1 client note, Essaye wrote that “every bubble in modern market history has been based on a narrative”—and today, that narrative is AI. But to measure the health of the AI trade, he points to the PHLX Semiconductor Index (SOX), not just Nvidia.

Semiconductors are the “lifeblood” of AI, yet SOX remains below its July 2024 highs while the S&P 500 has climbed nearly 14% in the same period. That lagging performance, Essaye says, is a meaningful divergence:

“If AI remains the primary source of bullish optimism… this market is in trouble and at risk of rolling over sooner than later.”

He cautions that if SOX begins a material selloff, the S&P 500 likely won’t be far behind.

Adding to the risk: weaker recent payrolls, rising continuing jobless claims, and stretched valuations after an ~85% rally from the October 2022 lows.

“It is critical to keep close tabs on economic data right now,” Essaye stressed in an August 8 note, warning the broader market remains vulnerable to considerable downside if economic resilience falters.

Also, click here to view the full article published in Business Insider on August 9th, 2025. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Rising level Of Greed In The ‘Short-Volatility’ Trade

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Rising level Of Greed In The ‘Short-Volatility’ Trade: Tom Essaye Quoted in Business Insider

Stocks are vulnerable to a 5% ‘air-pocket drawdown’ as greedy traders short volatility, research firm says

“Stocks on Tuesday seemed to have an additional influence weighing on the broader market,” Tom Essaye, the founder and president of Sevens Report Research, wrote in a note on Thursday. “It turns out that it did… an overcrowded short side of the options market which was reminiscent of the 2018 ‘Volmageddon’ event.”

“Based on the magnitude of the move in VIX futures on Tuesday, there is an increasing threat that the rising level of greed in the ‘short-volatility’ trade, similar to what we saw in 2018, could result in an air-pocket drawdown of 5% or more in the S&P 500,” Essaye said.

“The rebound in interest in short-volatility strategies is once again posing a risk to the broader markets here as a negative catalyst can clearly spark a momentous, derivatives-driven selloff in the broader stock market like that which we saw in 2018,” Essaye said.

“Going forward, these expirations will remain dates to keep in mind as the threat of volatility will be elevated as we move further into 2024,” Essaye said.

Also, click here to view the full Business Insider article published on February 16th, 2024. However, to see the Sevens Report’s full comments on the current market environment sign up here.

If you want research that comes with no long term commitment, yet provides independent, value added, plain English analysis of complex macro topics, then begin your Sevens Report subscription today by clicking here.

To strengthen your market knowledge take a free trial of The Sevens Report.

Join hundreds of advisors from huge brokerage firms like Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Wells Fargo Advisors, Raymond James, and more! To start your quarterly subscription and see how The Sevens Report can help you grow your business, click here.

Tom Essaye Quoted in Business Insider on August 22nd, 2023

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Wall Street is declaring victory too early — the US is still headed for a recession

Tom Essaye, the founder of Sevens Report Research, which counts some of the biggest institutions on Wall Street among its clients, said while inflation on a year-over-year basis has come down significantly, the cumulative price increases we’ve seen since the start of the pandemic will eventually force consumers to cut back on spending.

“People get very excited about CPI and say, ‘Hey, CPI went up only 0.1% over the past month and it’s only up 3% over the past year,'” Essaye said. “Well, think about that in practical terms. If I go to buy my kids a bag of Skittles, in 2019 it cost $0.75. Now it costs $1.50. Am I supposed to get excited because next year it costs $1.55?”

Click here to read the full article.

Tom Essaye Quoted in Business Insider on May 18, 2022

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Wall Street’s biggest firms pay to read Tom Essaye’s daily stock-market outlook. He shares 3 key shifts that have to unfold for stocks to bottom — and how to know exactly when they’ve happened.

In a note on Monday, Tom Essaye, the founder of market research firm the Sevens Report, said he’s watching three major shifts that have to occur to help him determine when stocks have bottomed, and how to know when they’ve happened. He counts people at firms like UBS, Morgan Stanley, and Charles Schwab as readers of such insights in his daily reports.

Tom Essaye Quoted in Business Insider on June 4, 2019

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“The unpredictability of the administration regarding tariffs/trade combined with a late cycle economy and a Fed seemingly on hold makes a 16x multiple…” says Tom Tom Essaye. Click here to read the full article.