C. A. Heart School of Financial Literacy & Legacy Engineering

09/26/2026

The following are the results of the Schwab weekly portfolio report. Regular investment account:
VICR +26.60%.
ILMN +12.68%.
SANM +12.63%.
CAH -2.29%.
-None-
-None-
Roth IRA account:
SOXL +22.46%.
INTC +13.26%.
AMD +12.65%.
COHR -6.78%.
AGX -6.56%.
LABU -4.08%.

09/26/2026

The S&P 500 is up 13% for the year, 3.3% for the quarter, and 0.75% so far this month. This past week was the market's first positive week since the week ending September 4th. The Technology sector led the gains, rising 3.1%, while the Utilities sector lagged behind, dropping 3.2%.
Micron Technology (MU), Accenture (ACN), Nike (NKE), McCormick (MKC), Jabil (JBL), Carnival (CCL), and CarMax (KMX) are all scheduled to report their quarterly earnings next week.
One week from today, the U.S. government releases September's jobs report—let's hope the unemployment rate remains low.
Today, in my Roth IRA, I bought more shares of AMD and sold my entire positions in SPXL and XBI. These are not bad ETF’s (Exchange-Traded Funds). I am simply consolidating my portfolio to prepare for more aggressive growth ETF’s, which I plan to buy during the next market pull back.

09/25/2026

Oil prices and bond interest rates were elevated today, which is why the stock market was down for most of the day. Markets recovered slightly after reports emerged that U.S. and Iranian negotiators were considering a deal to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East—though time will tell how that unfolds.
The 30-year Treasury bond yield reached 4.446%, rising near its highest levels since 2007. Meanwhile, the 10-year Treasury bond yield surged to 4.15%, reaching levels not seen since 2007. When interest rates rise, borrowing money becomes more expensive for companies and consumers, which can slow down the economy. This also increases the chances that the Federal Reserve will raise its benchmark interest rate. Traders currently estimate a 71% chance of another rate hike at the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting in October.
Today in my Roth IRA, I added to my position in Bloom Energy (ticker: BE).

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09/24/2026

The 10-year Treasury yield increased to 5.104%, marking its highest level since July 2007. This rate spike was a response to today's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) report, an economic indicator that tracks whether business activity is expanding or contracting. While I haven't tracked PMI data in the past, I am actively educating myself on it and will monitor it moving forward. I believe the increase in interest rates was the main cause for the market to sell off today as investors moved money out of the stock market and into the bond market.
Today, in my regular investment account, I sold all of my positions in Citigroup (C), the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB), and the Invesco S&P 500 Equal Weight ETF (RSP). However, I re-purchased IBB inside my Roth IRA.
Also in my Roth IRA today, I sold my entire position in American Healthcare REIT (AHR). I added to my existing positions in the Direxion Daily S&P Biotech Bull 3X Shares (LABU) and the Defiance Daily Target 2X Long SOXX ETF (SOXX), and I initiated a new position in Bloom Energy (BE).

09/23/2026

Today, the Nasdaq hit a new all-time high, while the S&P 500 was completely flat.
Today is a great time to compare your portfolio's percentage of gain or loss against the S&P 500. It is really easy to do if you use a Charles Schwab account, but no matter who your broker is, let me know if you need help and I will show you how to figure it out.
FYI: The forward P/E (Price-to-Earnings ratio, which measures how expensive stock prices are relative to expected company profits) on the S&P 500 is 19.56. Its 5-year average P/E ratio is around 19 to 20, while its longer-term 25-year average is closer to 16 to 17. (Note: A 22.0 P/E is closer to historic peak valuation periods rather than the 5-year average).
When the Federal Reserve raises interest rates, it makes it harder to turn a profit in the stock market. Higher rates slow down the economy by making loan borrowing more expensive for businesses and consumers. They also make low-risk bonds pay higher yields, which competes with stocks for investment dollars. For example, the 10-year Treasury bond yield finished last week near 5%, after hitting nearly two-decade highs above 5.04%. Recently, these interest rate movements have been closely tied to crude oil prices.
Today in my Roth IRA, I sold my entire position in XTL (SPDR S&P Telecom ETF). It is a decent ETF, but I am trying to streamline my portfolio and put that money into more aggressive growth investments.

09/19/2026

This week, the S&P 500 was down 0.1% as the market adjusted to a 0.25% interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve. Year to date, the index is up 11%.
Today in my regular investment account, I started a new position in EPOL.
In my Roth IRA today, I started a new position in OKTA.
Here is the Schwab weekly portfolio report. Regular investment account:
ILMN +16.07%
ARKG +13.35%
VICOR +12.54%
AIR -10.13%
AEIS -8.72%
SANM -7.61%
Roth IRA account:
SNDK +9.70%
AMD +8.46%
MUU +7.29%
AGX -5.77%
MYRG -4.11%
NTR -2.77%
It is interesting that this week, the regular account experienced higher highs and lower lows than the Roth IRA, making it more volatile overall.

09/17/2026

In a unanimous decision today, the Federal Reserve voted to raise interest rates by 0.25%. When the decision was first announced, the stock market went up, but it soon started selling off and continued to drop. The Federal Reserve rarely raises or cuts rates just once. It is very likely we will see another interest rate increase before the end of the year, followed by another one early next year.
It is hard to see the logic behind raising interest rates to slow down inflation when rising prices are being driven by oil shortages caused by conflict in the Middle East. The Fed can raise interest rates as much as it wants, but higher rates will not produce more oil. Because of this, the prices of gasoline, diesel fuel, and everyday groceries will likely keep going up.

09/15/2026

The market went down today, again because the price of oil went up. That was due to Saudi Arabia having to shut down its pipeline, which was damaged because of the Iranian conflict.
Our 10-year bond interest rate hit 5.014% today before pulling back slightly. That is the highest level since October 2023. Everyone, including myself, is watching it closely because if the yield moves beyond 5.02%, that will be the highest since July 2007, which was just before the global financial crisis of 2008 to 2009.
The odds that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates by a quarter percentage point at its upcoming policy meeting now stand at 92.3%, according to the CME Group FedWatch tool.
Today, in my regular investment account, I added to my position in SOXY.

09/13/2026

So far this month, the S&P 500 is down 0.4%, but it is up almost 12% for the year. The Energy sector climbed 2%, and the Health Care sector had the largest percentage drop of the week, falling 3.6%.
The following are the results of the Schwab Weekly portfolio report:
Regular investment account:
CIEN: +8.89%
SANM: +8.83%
IECS: +7.17%
VRT: -8.37%
ILMN: -5.39%
CAH: -5.10%
Roth IRA account:
COHR: +8.34%
DELL: +8.23%
AMD: +8.07%
LABU: -13.92%
MUU: -8.23%
SNDK: -6.13%

09/12/2026

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose a seasonally adjusted 0.4% for the month, putting the 12-month increase at 3.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Both readings were in line with the Dow Jones consensus. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, core CPI posted a 0.3% monthly gain, or 0.1 percentage point higher than the forecast. The core annual rate came in at 2.4%, in line with the estimate. The report is the final major inflation indicator the Fed will see before it holds its policy meeting next week, concluding Wednesday with a vote on its key interest rate.
I find it interesting that the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ went up 0.86% and 0.96% respectively today, considering that this data combined with yesterday's PPI report increased the odds of a rate hike from 70% to 90%. Interest rate hikes normally make the stock market go down because higher interest rates make borrowing money more expensive for corporations. When money is more expensive, corporations tend to cut back and stop expanding; they also don't start new projects. They don't hire more employees because employees cost money.
Today in my regular investment account, I sold all of the following positions: PWR & STRL. I also sold 66% of VICR.