US stocks gain as investors digest the Federal Reserve’s 50-basis-point cut. Academy Securities head of macro strategy Peter Tchir joins Seana Smith and Brad Smith on Morning Brief to discuss how to navigate the market (^DJI,^GSPC, ^IXIC) as the interest rate cutting cycle kicks off.

Tchir says the market could be “a little bit ahead of itself,” rallying higher after the Fed decision: “I was expecting 50, and I thought the Fed would try and make it a hawkish 50 and you saw that attempt — they had the dissent [from some Fed officials], they moved rates lower, the projections lower — but nowhere near to what the market was pricing at the end of 2025.”

“But, they did cut 50, and I think that's giving a big impetus to the market, and we're going to see positioning play out," the strategist tells Yahoo Finance, expecting markets to “settle down a little bit from here. Everyone can calm down” after investors have had some time to digest the Fed’s action.

The strategist acknowledges there is some risk in the rotation trade but explains his view that the Russell 2000 (^RUT) small-cap index could become momentum:

“They're relatively small. I think there's very little liquidity in this market… Money flows into the ETFs. You've got the day trading. So I think that will push things higher than they should. So I think you could get a really nice response from the Russell 2000 if it attracts the momentum cash.”

In regard to the bond market (^TYX, ^TNX, ^FVX), Tchir diagnoses its trends as “largely gridlock” as the market waits for the presidential election. He adds, “I don't think that derails much of the equity rally. But again, it will slow down those mega-caps.”

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Morning Brief.

This post was written by Naomi Buchanan.