1. Cash-Fund Managers Running Record Low Cash Allocation

Cash is Trash — Fund Managers: And as such, fund managers are running very low allocations to cash. Definitely a sign of the times… and they’re not the only ones.

Source:  @KobeissiLetter    @Callum Thomas (Weekly S&P500 #ChartStorm)

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2. Retail Investors Lowest Cash Allocation Since 2007

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3. 100 Days Without 5% Pullback in S&P—Average is 59 Days

Even with renewed volatility, it has been 100 days since the S&P 500 has had a 5% pullback. The average is 59 days. That shows just how smooth of a road the stock market has had over the past three months.

Eric Soda Spilled Coffee blog https://www.spilledcoffee.co

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4. Top 10 Stocks Weighting in S&P 25% Higher than Previous Record

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5. The Most Patient Trade in Stock Market History…Buffett vs. Internet Bubble

https://cms.zerohedge.com/s3/files/inline-images/2025-10-17_09-07-04.jpg?itok=F_TjyubV

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6. IBIT Approaches 200-Day for First Time Since April

http://www.stockcharts.com/

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7. Crypto Liquidations $1.2 B

http://www.sherwood.com/

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8. Anthropic vs. Open AI

http://www.chartr.com/

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9. Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead

Consumer Report By Paris Martineau
Much has changed since Consumer Reports first tested protein powdersand shakes. Over the past 15 years, Americans’ obsession with protein has transformed what had been a niche product into the centerpiece of a multibillion-dollar wellness craze, driving booming supplement sales and spawning a new crop of protein-fortified foods that now saturate supermarket shelves and social media feeds.

Yet for all the industry’s growth and rebranding, one thing hasn’t changed: Protein powders still carry troubling levels of toxic heavy metals, according to a new Consumer Reports investigation. Our latest tests of 23 protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes from popular brands found that heavy metal contamination has become even more common among protein products, raising concerns that the risks are growing right alongside the industry itself.

For more than two-thirds of the products we analyzed, a single serving contained more lead than CR’s food safety experts say is safe to consume in a day—some by more than 10 times.

Recommended Better Choices

Owyn
Pro Elite High Protein Shake

Serving Size:
330 ml (1 carton)

Transparent Labs
Mass Gainer

Serving Size:
194 grams 
(2 scoops)

Optimum Nutrition
Gold Standard 100% Whey

Serving Size:
30.5 grams 
(1 scoop)

BSN
Syntha-6 Protein Powder

Serving Size:
47 grams (1 scoop)

Momentous
Whey Protein Isolate¹

Serving Size:
26.5 grams (1 scoop)

Dymatize
Super Mass Gainer

Serving Size:
333 grams 
(2.5 scoops)

Muscle Tech
100% Mass Gainer

Serving Size:
357 grams 
(6 scoops)

https://www.consumerreports.org/lead/protein-powders-and-shakes-contain-high-levels-of-lead-a4206364640/?EXTKEY=NH5AHTHE3&utm_source=acxiom&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20251019_nsltr_health&utm_nsltr=health&utm_segment=nbp

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10. Putting Yourself in Positions for Good Things to Happen

A lot of success in life is just putting yourself in a position for good things to happen to you. 

+ Be reliable
+ Avoid drama
+ Help other people win
+ Take care of your body
+ Take care of your mind
+ Live below your means
+ Treat your job as if it matters
+ Take care of your relationships 

Simple, but not easy. https://fs.blog

1. 10-Year Treasury Closes Below 4% First Time in 12 Months

CNBC

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2. Tech Doesn’t Care About More Credit Cockroaches?? XLK Closed Higher Yesterday

Google Finance

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3. Retail Options Trading

Retail traders’ demand for call options has outpaced puts for 24 consecutive weeks, which ties with November 2023 for the longest streak ever, said Citadel Securities’ Scott Rubner, citing data going back to 2020. Retail traders’ conviction in the stock market “remains extraordinary” he says.

Dave Lutz Jones Trading

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4. U.S. ETFs Monthly Flows 3.5x the Usual Seasonal Average

Bloomberg

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5. MicroStrategy -38% from Highs…50day thru 200day to Downside in October

StochCharts

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6. Ethereum ETF-A Couple Attempts to Break-Out to New Highs Failed

Stock Charts

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7. Massive Spread in Just 11 Month Period High Beta vs. Low Volatility…..At Highs +68% vs. +7%

WSJ

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8. India Pre-Ukraine Invasion Bought $1B of Russian Oil Imports….2024 India Imported $52.7B of Russian Oil 36% Of Total

Perplexity

Zerohedge- “Within a short period of time, they will not be buying oil from Russia,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office during a press conference.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine, India’s annual crude oil imports from Russia hovered at about $1 billion. But since the war began, imports have skyrocketed, reaching $25.5 billion in 2022, $48.6 billion in 2023, and $52.7 billion in 2024, according to the U.N. Comtrade database.

Experts at the Observer Research Foundation think tank estimate that India accounts for more than one-third of Russia’s crude exports, behind China’s 50 percent share.

“Indian refiners have temporarily ramped up Russian crude imports, without any visible signs of concern emerging from the political leadership,” the foundation wrote in a report.

The United States has accused India of reselling Russian oil on the open market, allegedly further benefiting Russia.

“India’s subsequent reselling of this oil on the open market, often at significant profit, further enables the Russian Federation’s economy to fund its aggression,” Trump’s executive order reads.

In December 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Modi signed a flurry of trade and arms deals. Putin and Modi also signed nine agreements related to trade, research, and climate action in July 2024.

According to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, the U.S. goods trade deficit with India was almost $46 billion in 2024, representing a 5.9 percent increase from 2023.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-says-india-agreed-stop-buying-oil-russia

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9. Most Affordable Global Cities…Salt Lake, Austin, Dallas, Atlanta

Bloomberg

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10. Nick Saban-The 5 Enemies of Greatness

Peter Mallouk

1. A Bad Year for Stock Pickers…Momentum Ruled Over Fundamentals 2025

Bloomberg

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2. October Volatility Common…Highest Vol Month

Nasdaq Dorsey Wright October historically sees significantly more volatile days than other months. Gong back to 1987, the S&P 500 averages just under seven days of 1% movement, the highest average of any month. This volatility tends to trail off as we get close to year-end. November and December each average about five 1% days, among the lowest average of any month.

NASDAQ DORSEY WRIGHT

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3. China ETF (FXI) Breaks Out vs. India (INDA)

StockCharts

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4. China Back in Lead vs. India…3-Year China +78% vs. India +32%

YCharts

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5. Small vs. Large. “Small-caps today are hitting the highest levels since February relative to Large-caps.”

DAILY CHARTBOOK

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6. Since 1956 Argentina has Received 23 Bailouts for the IMF

Since 1956, the country that gave the world Diego Maradona and the tango has received 23 bailouts from the International Monetary Fund (largely funded by the U.S.). Not only have the bailouts not fixed the underlying problems facing Argentina, but the country has defaulted on its sovereign debt nine times, including three defaults since 2000. https://fundstrat.com/

Semafor

Argentina ETF -16% YTD

Google Finance

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7. Year to Date ETF Flows

The Irrelevant Investor

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8. Share of Americans Drinking Alcohol Breaks to New All-Time Lows

WSJ

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9. College Tuition vs. Inflation 40-Year Chart

Peter Mallouk

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10. Wealth Breakdown Among Millionaires

MSN

1. Heavily Shorted Stocks Leading

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2. XLY Consumer Discretionary (offense) Made New High Versus XLP Consumer Staples (defense)

StockCharts

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3. Bitcoin Miner ETF Move Since Liberation Day…WGMI

StockCharts

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4. Bank Earnings Reports Coming…Regional Banks Never Made New Highs

StockCharts

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5. Follow-Up to Yesterday’s Private Equity Stock Charts….BDC ETF vs. S&P 2025

Lead Lag Report Blog -The Business Development Company (BDC) sector has had a rough ride in 2025. The VanEck BDC Income ETF (BIZD), a broad proxy for the group, is down 16.36% year-to-date as of early October, while the S&P 500 is up over 13%.¹ Even reliable names like Ares Capital (ARCC), Blue Owl Capital (OBDC), and Blackstone Secured Lending (BXSL) are trading 10–20% below their 2024 highs.² Despite attractive yields — often in the 9–11% range — the market is pricing in deeper credit risk and the possibility of further dividend cuts

The Lead-Lag Report

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6. Friday was Largest Futures Liquidation in Bitcoin History

BTC open interest. “Friday’s wipeout triggered the largest futures liquidation in Bitcoin’s history. Over $11B in open interest was erased as leverage was forcefully unwound. A historic deleveraging event that has reset speculative excess across the market.”

@glassnode

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7. Post Friday….A TOP crypto mogul has been found dead inside his Lamborghini after a brutal market crash wiped out billions in digital assets

Konstantin Galich — better known as Kostya Kudo — was discovered on Saturday with a gunshot wound to the head inside a black Lamborghini Urus in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Crypto mogul Konstantin Galich was found dead in Kyiv

6

Cops discovered the 32-year-old inside his black Lamborghini Urus

Cops said a firearm registered in the 32-year-old’s name was recovered at the scene.

Investigators are treating the case as a possible suicide but have not ruled out foul play.

A statement from the Kyiv Police Department said that the day before his death, “the man told relatives that he was feeling depressed due to financial difficulties and also sent them a farewell message.”

News of the Ukrainian’s death was confirmed on Galich’s official Telegram channel, which posted: “Konstantin Kudo tragically passed away  “The causes are being investigated. We will keep you posted on any further news.”

Galich was the co-founder of the Cryptology Key trading academy and a major influencer in the digital asset space.

He was widely followed across the crypto community, with more than 66,000 Instagram followers hanging on his market insights.

His death came as the crypto sector was rocked by one of its steepest plunges in years. https://www.the-sun.com/news/15338562/

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8. 90% of Chips are Made in Asia

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9. It Will Be Cobots Before Robots

AI Overview  Cobots, or collaborative robots, are industrial robots designed to work safely alongside human employees in a shared workspace, unlike traditional robots that require safety cages. They are characterized by user-friendly design, flexibility, lower power levels, and the ability to be quickly deployed for various tasks, such as assembly, packaging, or machine tending. Cobots augment human capabilities by taking on repetitive, dangerous, or ergonomically challenging tasks, allowing human workers to focus on more complex and creative aspects of their jobs

Scape Technologies A/S

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10. Social Media Peaked in 2022

THE FINANCIAL TIMES

1. Start Today with Private Equity Manager’s Charts…..KKR -20% Year to Date-Failed to Make New Highs—Close Below 200day

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2. Apollo -28% Year to Date…Failed to Make New Highs….50day and 200day sloping down

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3. Blackstone -10% Year to Date…Failed to Make New Highs…Closed Below 200 Day

StockCharts

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4. 100 Best Stock Performers 2025 were Down the Most During Friday Pullback

Bespoke-The 100 stocks that were up the most from 9/2 through the close last Thursday (10/9) were down an average of 4.7% on Friday. Every other decile of stocks saw average declines in the 2% range.

Bespoke

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5. Gold Most Overbought Based on RSI in History

Barchart

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6. Slowdown in Growth of Data Centers

Torsten SløkApollo Chief EconomistThere is still strong growth in data center construction, but the current growth rate at 30% is lower than the 80% observed two years ago, see chart below.

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7. Major Bank Deregulation Underway by Trump Administration

Dave Lutz at Jones Trading “We think the Trump administration is kicking off a major wave of deregulation, unlocking a huge amount of capacity, which will give a massive economic boost and an earnings uplift,” said Fernando de la Mora, co-head of financial services at Alvarez & Marsal. The New York-based consultancy predicted US banks would benefit from a 14 per cent reduction in their requirements for common equity tier one, a capital buffer that gives them capacity to absorb losses.

THE FINANCIAL TIMES

It forecast this would result in a 35 per cent boost to their earnings per share and a 6 per cent increase in their return on average tangible common equity — a benchmark used by investors. The report, due to be published on Monday, provides detailed estimates of the impact of changes to banking regulation across the world.

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8. Kalshi Prediction Markets Hits $5B Valuation

Kalshi, a prediction market that allows people to bet on future events, announced that it raised over $300 million at a $5 billion valuation. The company’s value has increased 2.5x since its last fundraise just three months ago, when it was valued at $2 billion.

The fresh capital came from Kalshi’s existing investor, Sequoia Capital, with new investor Andreessen Horowitz co-leading the round. Paradigm Ventures, CapitalG, and Coinbase Ventures also participated.

Kalshi also revealed that consumers in 140 countries can now make bets on its platform.

The prediction market is seeing a dramatic surge in activity: Kalshi is set to reach $50 billion in annualized trading volume, up significantly from the approximately $300 million volume posted last year, the New York Times reported.

Kalshi’s fundraise announcement follows one made just days earlier by archrival Polymarket, which revealed that it had secured an investment of up to $2 billion from Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, at a pre-money valuation of $8 billion. The deal valued Polymarket at $8 billion pre-money, a monumental increase from its $1 billion valuation only two months earlier in August.

Both Kalshi and Polymarket rose to prominence last year, drawing significant attention for their prediction markets on the presidential election outcome.

Polymarket has been barred from serving U.S. residents since 2022, following a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In July, the company acquired a derivatives exchange and a clearing house. The move helped Polymarket receive the right to reenter the U.S. market. Last month, the company’s CEO and founder, Shayne Coplan, said on X: “Polymarket has been given the green light to go live in the USA by the CFTC.”  Kalshi secured the right for Americans to use its platform after successfully suing the CFTC last year

https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/10/kalshi-hits-5b-valuation-days-after-rival-polymarket-gets-2b-nyse-backing-at-8b/?utm_source=chartr&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=chartr_20251013

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9. Shrinking Grade School Population by State-John Burns Real Estate

Eric Finnigan

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10. Ten Stress Triggers

Andrew Lendnal