At Mutual Series, we do not believe the packed and contentious 2024 global election season will upend the major long-term trends around supply-chain links, energy security and defense—all of which can further support certain value stocks.

Shelter costs are keeping inflation measures elevated.

The economic outlook in the United States is unusually murky, with different sets of indicators telling different stories. But it is entirely possible that inflation will get stuck at a level inconsistent with the US Federal Reserve’s target, reducing – perhaps even to zero – the number of interest-rate cuts this year.

The Fed meets this week, which means investors and analysts will be sifting through Wednesday’s FOMC statement, updated economic projections, the “dot plots,” and Powell’s press conference searching for any signal – real or imagined – about what our central bank will do next.

Capital markets appear content with playing the rate cut waiting game as the S&P 500 continues to rise to new highs. Meanwhile, renewed volatility could make investors reconsider adding an equal weight strategy to their portfolios.

It’s been a raucous past year for fixed income investors. Following years of quiet for rate markets, the Fed’s rapid rate hikes, and subsequent signals about rate cuts, have reinvigorated fixed income investing.

Sentiment data is beginning to match relatively strong "hard" economic data.

Over the last few years, digital currencies and gold have become decent barometers of speculative investor appetite.

With interest rates at their highest levels in over a decade, now is a good time for most plan sponsors to de-risk their liabilities via a lump sum window.

Do you know that the headline Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) was 2.4% in January while the core PCE was 2.8%? This is very close to the 2% target.

Europe needs to boost defense spending while managing stretched fiscal positions.

One topic that does merit advisors and investors of all kinds to stop and learn, however, is the mutual fund to ETF conversion process. With ETFs, especially of the active variety, coming on so strong in the last year, it’s an important process to understand.

At the end of Exchange 2024, VettaFi shared an exciting announcement: Exchange 2025 will take place in Las Vegas. Next year’s iteration of the legendary conference will happen March 23-26. It will be held at Virgin Hotel’s Curio Collection by Hilton.

You may have noticed the stock market rising lately. Much of the gain isn’t so much “the market” as a handful of mega-cap stocks. Nonetheless, the bulls are clearly in charge. The question is how long they will stay there. History suggests longer than many market bears think.

Homeownership is the quintessential American dream, but it’s become increasingly elusive for many households. A multitude of factors, including soaring home prices, elevated interest rates and persistent inflation, has created the perfect storm, making homeownership a distant reality for more U.S. residents.

Investments in aircraft can offer steady cash flow and a return profile that’s uncorrelated to broad market indices.

With the U.S. economy posting two consecutive quarters of 3%+ GDP growth, recession calls have quieted down.

The broad stock market is taking a breather from its rally. That means the “Magnificent Seven” stocks are also catching their breath after a strong rally that started late in 2023. Despite the recent pullback, certain members of that cohort still show technical signs of bullishness.

The January debuts of spot bitcoin ETFs in the U.S. have figured prominently in the cryptocurrency’s ascent this year. However, experienced crypto investors know that the upcoming quadrennial halving is likely playing a significant role in Bitcoin’s 2024 bullishness.

Our research shows a correlation between strong governance and higher stock returns.

Corporate taxes illustrate the complexity of global policy coordination.

This week, more than 400 members of the Women in ETFs (WE) organization gathered to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary. The New York City event was just the latest opportunity for community members to exchange ideas and learn together.

With the future of the economic environment remaining uncertain, investors are reevaluating what factors to prioritize when seeking large-cap opportunities.

Gargi Pal Chaudhuri, Head of iShares Investment Strategy and Markets Coverage at BlackRock, and Anne Ackerley, Head of BlackRock’s Retirement Group, sat down for a conversation about women and investing – the good, the bad, and the diversified.

Stubborn core and supercore inflation will mean that the Fed will want some more evidence that their preferred measures of inflation are moving sustainably lower according to Nikhil Mohan, Franklin Fixed Income economist.

Every year or two, a new round of worries crops up. Some of them are real—the war in Ukraine, inflation, politics—but a surprising number are not. The challenge, of course, is telling which is which.

Since their inception, exchange traded funds (ETFs) continue to grow their market share and popularity with investors. The tax efficiency for which they are known comes down to three primary mechanisms from which the vehicle wrapper benefits.

Is now the time to get back into REITs? Media headlines may have previously dissuaded investors from real estate, but the landscape is changing.

The ongoing narrative around the strength of large-cap equities will continue to center around forthcoming rate cuts. Once the Federal Reserve receives the economic data it needs to loosen monetary policy and hit its inflation goal of 2%, it could propel growth-oriented large-cap stocks into the stratosphere.

Investors appear increasingly optimistic regarding equity performance in the second half. However, frothy markets continue to create challenges this quarter and advisors looking to find opportunities within equities this year don’t want to miss the recent 2024 Equity Symposium hosted by VettaFi.

Municipals posted positive performance and outperformed comparable Treasuries in February. We expect supply-and-demand dynamics to turn less supportive in the coming months. After patience to start the year, we would view any material backup as an opportunity to buy.

Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz famously asserted that diversification is the only free lunch in investing. His insight was simple yet profound: by diversifying across assets, investors can achieve higher returns without necessarily increasing risk.

Trading volumes for spot bitcoin ETFs have been the talk of the industry. David Mann, our Head of Global ETF Product and Capital Markets, offers his take on how best to evaluate the liquidity of these ETFs via his favorite NFL team.

Climate risks and regulations are on the rise.

With a quarter of 2024 in the books, investors have been closely watching key inflation and interest rate trends.

If 2023 was the year of the mega cap tech stock, 2024 may see SMIDcap stocks rise to new prominence. While key names in the “Magnificent Seven” remain big players, strategies that look for SMIDcap opportunities could appeal. Valuations are such that investors may want to consider new approaches.

Any sliver of news that feeds into the higher-for-longer interest rates narrative will be an unwelcome guest for tech bulls. For traders looking to feed off bearishness, it’s an opportunity to take advantage of inverse exchange traded funds (ETFs).

For decades, the tech sector wasn’t viewed as a prime source of equity income. But that’s changed for the better in recent years, and that positive evolution is ongoing.

The U.S. stock market has done so well that many investors may have forgotten about the rest of the world. Emerging markets, however, have a case to get back into investors’ portfolios.

With the end of the free money era, fundamentals and management quality matter more now than they did in the 2010s, underscoring the role of active ETFs.

Presidential elections and market corrections have a long history of companionship. Given the rampant rhetoric between the right and left, such is not surprising. Such is particularly the case over the last two Presidential elections, where polarizing candidates trumped policies.

For many investors, fixed income is intended to serve as the ballast of a portfolio. This means that it hopefully provides stability in turbulent times while providing consistent and known income, cash flow, and return of principal.

Franklin Templeton’s Tony Davidow discusses the challenges and opportunities within commercial real estate with Jeb Belford of Clarion Partners.

I love spending time outdoors—except when it’s 20 degrees outside. For me, winter in Boston is a time to focus on self-improvement, whether that’s working on fitness goals or taking a class, so I can enjoy the warm weather when it finally arrives.

Food prices are dragging down feelings about the economy.

Global elections may lean towards nationalist policies that could hinder trade in goods via tariffs, but also boost growth in domestic industries to counter inflationary effects.

The field of noncryptocurrency blockchain usage cases are expanding rapidly. That brings with it some potentially alluring investment implications.

On Sunday, the Invesco Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQ) turned 25 years old. The more than $250 billion ETF is the fifth largest ETF behind three S&P 500 ETFs and one even broader U.S. equity ETF.

Tomorrow is the day! VettaFi’s Equity Symposium will offer critical thought leadership and guidance as the economy enters the second quarter.

William Thorndike’s book The Outsiders has been considered a classic for some time now. His story teaches readers about the business performance of Henry Singleton, Katherine Graham, John Malone and Daniel Burke.