Latest news with #Apollon
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
The TACO trade is the new Trump trade. Here's what to know about the meme ruling the stock market.
First, it was the Trump trade; now it's TACO. The new meme, first floated by The Financial Times this month, is making the rounds on Wall Street as a blueprint for how to play the stock market in 2025. What is the TACO trade It's an acronym that stands for "Trump Always Chickens Out." Simply put, it's been demonstrated numerous times this year that when the stock market dips sharply on Donald Trump's trade war proclamations, it inevitably rockets back up when the president backs down. In other words, when Trump announces new tariff policies, it might be a good time to buy. A few months into Trump's presidency, there are several examples of the TACO trade at work. When Trump issued his sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs on April 2, the S&P 500 tanked over 12% in the following days. On April 9, Trump announced a 90-day pause, igniting a furious stock rally that included the best day for the S&P 500 in nearly two decades. Meanwhile, the index has gained over 1% since mid-May, when the White House announced a framework trade deal with China that lowered tariffs for 90 days. The development helped stocks recover all of their losses since April lows. The latest example came just last week after Trump called for a 50% tariff on the European Union starting on June 1. It sparked a slide in the stock market that day, but an abrupt about-face over the weekend from Trump to delay the tariffs until July 9 helped the S&P 500 rebound by nearly 2% on Tuesday as traders returned from Memorial Day. "I think the only person or entity he listens to is the stock market," Eric Sterner, chief investment officer at Apollon, told Business Insider: "I think that's a big part of his scorecard — what the stock market does." Why it matters Trump's election win injected a massive shot of bullish excitement across Wall Street. The subsequent rally in a handful of assets like crypto, Tesla stock, and bank shares was dubbed the Trump trade The thesis was that owning areas of the market set to benefit from Trump's agenda was a foolproof bet. However, some of those bets soured, mainly because the trade war came to overshadow any lingering optimism about deregulation or other White House priorities. With TACO, investors have a new guiding principle. "Buy the Trump tariff dip. Essentially, Trump has proven to investors that he won't actually follow through with draconian tariffs," Tom Essaye of The Sevens Report wrote on Wednesday. "As such, any sell-off following a dramatic tariff threat should be bought." It's a mentality retail investors have wholly adopted, with recent months seeing dip-buying at historic levels. But how long the TACO trade will remain effective depends on what happens after the tariff delays unwind over the summer, Apollon's Sterner said: "You can get some short-term gains there," he said, but he also warned that the odds of a damaging US downturn grow if tariffs return with no trade deals to stop them, though this isn't Apollon's base case. "If this game continues, it will put the US economy into recession at some point, and that's when that game ends in a bad way."
Associated Press
04-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Apollon Wealth Management Expands to New York with Acquisition of C.J. Lawrence®, Adding 160 Years of Investment Expertise
Apollon Wealth Management ('Apollon'), a leading Charleston-based financial advisory firm under Apollon Holdings, has expanded into New York City with the acquisition of C.J. Lawrence®, a boutique investment management firm with a long-standing reputation for serving high-net-worth clients and institutions. This strategic expansion strengthens Apollon's investment capabilities and establishes its presence in the nation's largest financial market. With a legacy dating back to 1864, C.J. Lawrence has built a reputation for proprietary research, disciplined portfolio management and a highly personalized approach to wealth management. The firm is led by Bernhard Koepp, who has over 30 years of experience building and managing broad-based asset management and wealth management businesses at both large institutions and independent advisory firms. The C.J. Lawrence team has over one hundred years of combined investment management experience. 'The addition of C.J. Lawrence marks a significant milestone for Apollon as we establish our presence in New York City,' said Michael Dolberg, founding partner and CEO of Apollon Holdings, the parent company for Apollon Wealth Management and its affiliate Apollon Financial. 'Their team's legacy of investment management and client service, makes them a natural fit for Apollon.' 'Joining Apollon Wealth Management marks an important step in our firm's evolution,' said Bernhard Koepp, CEO of C.J. Lawrence. 'Apollon's independent, client-focused model aligns with our values, and their robust infrastructure allows us to enhance our investment management services while maintaining the personalized approach that has defined our firm for decades.' To learn more about Apollon Wealth Management, visit Sherman & Company served as financial advisor to C.J. Lawrence on the transaction. About Apollon Wealth Management Apollon Wealth Management, LLC is a collaborative and transparent financial planning firm focused on aligning clients' goals of growing and preserving their hard-earned wealth. Apollon set out to change the retail model for investments away from a focus on products to one that is client-directed and driven by a comprehensive financial plan. With exceptional white-glove service, Apollon has created an independent organization with the sole mission of enriching the lives of others through collaborative financial planning and guidance. With passion and purpose, Apollon has created a destination platform for advisor independence built with a seamless client transition process. Driven to expand the firm's footprint, Apollon possesses an open architecture environment and a centralized back-office that unifies advisor integration, onboarding, and acquisition. Apollon has offices across the country and continues to look for strategic partners nationwide. To learn more about Apollon, visit their website at 610-246-9928 Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 03/04/2025 09:38 AM/DISC: 03/04/2025 09:37 AM
