FN2 Research

Markets, explained.

Cited, no-noise breakdowns of why stocks move — earnings reactions, macro shifts, and the data behind the headlines.

Electronic market data displayed on a monitor as public-market issuance and liquidity are repriced.
IPOs · Market Structure · Liquidity · Equity Issuance · SEC

IPO issuance is back. Market plumbing will decide who can use the window.

U.S. equity issuance has surged in 2026, but a quiet IPO calendar and proposed market-structure reforms put the focus on aftermarket liquidity, lockups, volatility, and the ability of new supply to trade well.

Aerial view of a cargo ship at a coastal port, representing the maritime chokepoint at the center of the market risk.
Geopolitics · Energy · Oil · Shipping · Sanctions · Market Risk

Hormuz Disruption Keeps Crude Elevated, but Oil Equities Hesitate

The Strait of Hormuz disruption is keeping crude elevated, but U.S. oil equities are hesitating as shipping, sanctions, and macro risks compound. Here is the market tell and the physical data to watch next.

A large American flag hanging on a historic government building in Washington, D.C.
Markets · Macro · Rates · Technology · AI · ETF Flows

The bond market is the cleanest test of this rebound

Friday’s rebound was broader than the headline tech move, but elevated long-term yields keep the bond market at the center of the equity test. Here is what the sector split, company tape and macro backdrop say about the durability of the bounce.

Electronic market data screens showing charts and price information during equity trading
IPOs · Market Structure · Liquidity · Volatility · Equity Capital Markets · SEC

IPO Window Reopens—but Market Plumbing Decides Who Gets Through

The IPO window has reopened, but issuance totals alone do not determine market health. Primary deals, secondaries, lockups, buybacks, float, and evolving NMS rules will decide whether new supply meets durable liquidity.

A container ship navigating open water, representing the maritime routes carrying energy and goods through strategic chokepoints.
Geopolitics · Energy · Shipping · Market Risk · Oil

Hormuz Transit Is Moving Again, but the Risk Premium Is Not Gone

Oil is still moving through the Strait of Hormuz, but the route is operating under contested security conditions rather than normal commercial confidence. That distinction matters for crude, tanker economics, inflation expectations, and energy equities.

New York City skyline viewed across the water at night, representing the financial markets backdrop for the bond-yield and equity-rotation story.
Market Pulse · Macro · Technology · Semiconductors · Financials · Bonds

The market’s cleanest tell is the rotation beneath Friday’s rebound

Friday’s broad rebound concealed a more useful message: financials outperformed, semiconductors slipped, and long-term Treasury yields remain the pressure point for growth-stock multiples. The next test is whether strong AI-linked earnings can overcome a bond market that is still demanding compensation for inflation, debt, and geopolitical risk.

IPO deal documents and institutional offering process
IPOs · Market Structure · Liquidity · Equity Issuance · Exchanges

IPO Window Reopens, but Liquidity Is the Test

IPO capital is returning at historic scale, but deal mix, secondary supply, lockups, buybacks, and changing execution rules will determine whether the reopening is durable.

Close-up of colorful geometric spokes forming a circular pattern
Market Pulse · Macro · AI · Semiconductors · Rates

Rates Are Testing the AI Trade Without Breaking the Broader Tape

The broad tape remains resilient, but financials are outperforming technology while semiconductors and NVIDIA lag. Elevated long-term yields are turning the AI trade into a test of financing, valuation, and execution—not just demand.

A busy Manhattan street beside a major financial-news building, representing the public-market gateway for new listings.
IPOs · Market Structure · Liquidity · Volatility · Secondaries

IPO Supply Is Selective, but Liquidity Is Broadening Beyond the Public Calendar

A quiet late-August IPO slate sits beside record secondary-market activity and a changing market-structure rulebook. The mix of primary versus secondary shares, lockup eligibility, and trading capacity matters more than the raw number of new listings.

Market participants analyzing financial data and technology exposure on digital devices
Market Pulse · AI · Semiconductors · Rates · Macro

The Bond Market Is Setting the Price of AI

Friday’s higher indexes masked a sharper message: financials outperformed while semiconductors lagged. The bond market remains the key test for how much investors will pay for AI-linked growth.

New York City financial district skyline with the World Trade Center
IPOs · Market Structure · Liquidity · Equity Issuance · Volatility

The issuance window is open—but liquidity is the real test

U.S. equity issuance has reopened sharply in 2026. The harder market-structure question is whether primary deals, secondary selling and lockup releases are creating resilient liquidity or simply more supply.

Offshore oil platform with cranes over harbor water, representing energy infrastructure exposed to maritime risk
Geopolitics · Oil · Sanctions · Shipping · Inflation · Market Risk

Hormuz Risk Premium Hardens as Sanctions Threats Meet Slowing Tanker Traffic

Oil moved above $94 as sanctions threats against Iran’s backers met slowing tanker traffic through Hormuz. The market is testing whether a geopolitical headline becomes a durable logistics and inflation shock.