Signs the Bottom Is In, Yardeni Sees Resolution, Buying Winners, New QQQ’s
April 8, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readThe hosts open with a blunt assessment: the S&P 500 has rallied decisively off its late-March lows, the VIX has settled back to 26, and the market is largely shrugging off President Trump’s threat to “wipe out” Iranian civilization by an 8 p.m. deadline. The question is whether the worst is over or whether this is just a dead-cat bounce before a retest.
The Bottom Debate: Hostage Crisis or Rebalance Rally?
The central tension of the episode is whether the March 31 low was the actual bottom. The hosts note that the VIX is at 26 and the S&P 500 is down only 67 basis points despite Trump’s threat to destroy Iran’s infrastructure. The market’s muted reaction suggests traders are pricing in a low probability of actual escalation. One host puts the chance that the low holds at 40%, arguing that a real retest would require something like a European oil tanker catching fire in the Strait of Hormuz. The other host is more confident, citing Ed Yardeni’s view that “one way or another, the oil is going to come out of the Persian Gulf” and that the U.S. benefits from higher energy prices as an exporter.
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of The Compound and Friends
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:12) **Show Open & Housekeeping** - Hosts Michael Batnick and Josh Brown kick off the episode, introduce the show, and deliver sponsor messages for Franklin Templeton and Janus Henderson Investors.
- 2 (02:43) **Is the Bottom In?** - The hosts debate whether the recent market low marks a true bottom, given the ongoing geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East.
- 3 (09:23) **Ed Yardeni Sees Resolution; Citrini Analyst on the Ground** - The hosts discuss Ed Yardeni's view that the market bottom is in and a Citrini analyst who physically traveled through the Strait of Hormuz.
- 4 (12:50) **Signs of a Market Bottom** - The hosts review several sentiment indicators that suggest a market bottom may be in place.
- 5 (14:47) **Rebalancing or a Dead Cat Bounce?** - The hosts debate whether the rally is a genuine bottom or simply a quarter-end rebalance from fixed income into stocks.
- 6 (17:05) **Dividend Literacy Survey** - The hosts discuss a survey on how well investors understand the mechanics of dividend payments.
- 7 (23:46) **BlackRock Launches QQQ Competitor** - BlackRock is launching a new Nasdaq 100 ETF (ticker IQ Q) that could undercut Invesco's QQQ on fees.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Join Downtown Josh Brown and Michael Batnick for another episode of What Are Your Thoughts and see what they have to say about: the Q's, Jamie Dimon, how dividends really work, the openAI IPO, and much more.
This episode is s sponsored by Franklin Templeton and Janus Henderson Investors.
- Learn more at: franklintempleton.com/activeETFs
- Learn more at: www.janushenderson.com/
Sign up for The Compound Newsletter and never miss out!
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecompoundnews
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecompoundnews
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-compound-media/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thecompoundnews
Frankln Templeton Disclosure: Before investing, carefully consider a fund's investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. You can find this and other information in each prospectus, or summary prospectus, if available, at https://www.franklintempleton.com/. Please read it carefully.
All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal.
© 2026 Franklin Distributors, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC.
Investing involves the risk of loss. This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be or regarded as personalized investment advice or relied upon for investment decisions. Michael Batnick and Josh Brown are employees of Ritholtz Wealth Management and may maintain positions in the securities discussed in this video. All opinions expressed by them are solely their own opinion and do not reflect the opinion of Ritholtz Wealth Management.
The Compound Media, Incorporated, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliatio
More from this podcast
The Compound and Friends →