Sanjac Alpha's Wells: Interest rates will rise this year, even if the Fed cuts

Andy Wells, chief investment officer at Sanjac Alpha, says he expects the stock market to continue on its positive roll and wouldn't be surprised if it's up by about 6% from current levels over the next six months, but he also says that investors should expect interest rates to go up this year — even as he thinks the Federal Reserve will look to make a cut — because there is so much incoming bond supply driven by the artificial-intelligence boom and the need to fund A.I. projects. Further, Wells says that investors' bond funds are becoming "a tech bet" as the market changes and tries to absorb the massive funding needs behind new technologies. Matt Harris, chief investment officer at The Hausberg Group, says the current trend can drive the market higher, though the trend would need more breadth and participation to generate more optimism. He says investors should be using volatility to their advantage, especially in areas where consumer sentiment is weak, to buy into sectors that are on sale. Specifically, he is looking for alternative ways to play artificial intelligence, such as with energy companies and other adjacent industries.  Martha Moore, chief economist for the American Chemistry Council and survey chair for the National Association for Business Economics discusses NABE's latest Business Conditions Survey, released Monday, which showed that corporate economists see shrinking profit margins and, as a result, higher prices being passed along to consumers, which could keep inflation higher for longer. Despite that, the economists remain modestly positive on the next calendar quarter. Plus, Chuck answers a listener's question about how to view a portfolio that just set a personal peak, but that is overloaded with growth stock funds.