The U.S. war in Iran is two weeks away from its six-month anniversary. Originally scheduled to last weeks, it looks ready to go on for years. Eventually, there have to be global economic consequences.
I'll leave that to the economists to debate. A $20 Billion Reason Why Intel Stock Is in Focus Dear Intel Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for August 12 Ahead of Nebius Earnings, Here's What Barchart Data Says Comes Next for NBIS Stock Tired of missing midday reversals? The FREE Barchart Brief newsletter keeps you in the know.
What I do know is that all three major U.S. exchanges lost ground on Tuesday: S&P 500 (-0.32%), Dow (-0.34%), and Nasdaq (-0.60%) were all down on new worries about higher oil prices. In yesterday's trading, 109 NYSE stocks hit new 52-week highs, while 92 hit new 52-week lows. On the Nasdaq, new 52-week highs outnumbered lows 231 to 103.
Those are interesting numbers. I've been writing about new 52-week highs and lows for a while now (about 19 months); they suggest to me that stocks aren't nearly as overheated as investors (myself included) might think. In very buoyant times, there have been times when the ratio between highs and lows has been far greater.
This is good news for people thinking about adding new money to the markets right now. Going through Barrons list of stocks hitting new 52-week highs yesterday, a name I used to follow a long time ago, Compass Diversified Holdings (CODI), hit $13.24, its 21st new 52-week high of the past 12 months. Its shares are up 157% in 2026.
No longer a penny stock, CODI's 2.4 million shares traded sparked my curiosity: Is the middle-market, permanent-capital investment vehicle back from the wilderness? Compass Diversified Holdings LLC and the Compass Diversified Holdings statutory trust were both formed in November 2005 to acquire and manage North American middle-market businesses. As its 2025 10-K states, it looks for four things in these middle-market businesses: 1) they operate in industries with long-term macroeconomic growth opportunities, 2) they have positive and stable cash flows, (3) they face minimal threats of technological or competitive obsolescence, and (4) they have strong management teams largely in place.
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