The Healthiest Bull Market Nobody is Talking About

Your S&P 500 fund says 7% — but over 300 of its stocks are beating the index. This week we dig into the massive broadening of the market that almost nobody in the financial media is talking about, and why we think it's the healthiest thing to happen to this bull market in years.For three years, seven stocks did all the talking. This year, the other 493 are answering. On this week's Money On Tap, we walk through the numbers behind the broadening: the Magnificent Seven still make up roughly a third of every dollar in a cap-weighted S&P 500 index fund — which is exactly why so many statements look stuck at 7% while the equal-weight S&P runs above 14%, the Russell 1000 Value nears 20%, and healthcare and industrials each post roughly 24% year to date. We connect it to the 100-year-old Dow theory (industry makes goods, transportation moves them — and both are near highs), unpack the defensive-stock paradox (staples rallying while nobody calls a recession), revisit the historical pattern from 1983, 1995, 2003, 2013, and 2020 where tech blows out and then leadership broadens — and get practical about what a broadening market rewards most: rebalancing, equal-weight exposure, sector and international diversification, and knowing what your 401(k) actually owns.What you'll learn:Why a third of every S&P 500 index-fund dollar sits in just seven stocks — and what that's done to your return this yearThe breadth numbers: 300+ stocks beating the index, roughly seven in ten S&P names up on the yearThe sector scoreboard: healthcare ~24%, industrials ~24%, staples ~11.3%, financials ~9.7%, utilities ~7.6%Why money is rotating, not leaving — and why that's the opposite of how crashes startDow theory at 100+: what industrials and transports near highs historically signalThe defensive-stock paradox: staples leading without a recession call anywhere in sightThe rebalancing playbook: taking profits without apology, calendar discipline, equal-weight funds (11.9% vs 10.9% over 20 years)How to broaden with new contributions instead of selling your winnersTarget-date fund warnings: layered fees, hidden allocations, and no way to rebalanceWhy this is not a reason to dump technology — proportion, not exitPlus Money In The News:A property-management company bets $200K on AI to make the trades more efficient — filling a labor gap instead of cutting jobsApple set for its strongest June-quarter sales growth in five years — flat iPhone pricing, a $5 trillion moment, and sitting out the AI arms raceThe 100-year-old Dow theory says this market isn't done climbingWant a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.Read the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blogSchedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsultaBrowse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact UsPhone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Index and sector figures cited are approximate year-to-date values as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.Why doesn't inflation feel like the official 3%?Because inflation is the rate at which prices rise, while affordability is the level of prices you have to live with — and that level never resets. Retirees also buy a different basket than the CPI emphasizes: shelter costs, insurance, property taxes, healthcare, prescriptions, food, and fuel, several of which run far hotter than headline inflation. Oil compounds it, touching every leg of the delivery chain. A resilient retirement plan stress-tests income needs well above the Fed's target and fights back with pricing-power equities, reasonable bond yields, guaranteed lifetime income for core expenses, and tax mitigation that lets you keep more of every distribution.