The latest January release of the ClearBridge Recession Risk Dashboard shows another indicator move from red to yellow. Jeff Schulze of ClearBridge Investments shares his insights on what this could mean for the recession outlook in the United States and the overall state of the economy.
A new approach to environmental, social and governance (ESG) research could ease investors’ frustrations with sourcing and evaluating the data required for objective credit analysis. Thanks to a surge in company reporting, ESG metrics can now be quantified and incorporated into analyses that were historically rooted in fundamental research alone.
When ETF investors want real estate exposure, they’re not relegated to just the residential market. That’s imperative in the current market environment. The ALPS Active REIT ETF (REIT) provides this flexibility.
Broadly speaking on both counts, ESG funds posted solid returns last year. But many investors pulled capital from these products with some actively managed funds being the most afflicted by outflows.
In studies, 90% of drivers think they are above average. We believe that 100% of the people who pick stocks for a living think they will be above average.
The start of 2024 has been marked by record issuance both in the public and private business sectors. In terms of the latter, green bonds are also hitting the market, as in the case of plastics maker Dow Inc.
Investors who stay too long in cash may find they’ve missed out.
Investors waiting on small-cap equities and related ETFs may be encountering a “Waiting for Godot” moment. That’s because it feels like a while since small-caps have offered good reason to peer away from large-caps.
When it comes to taxes, it's always best to be prepared for any future changes that could either benefit or hurt your clients. This year's inflation-related adjustments to tax brackets and standard deductions could give some of your clients more flexibility to manage their capital gains.
Once again, as we have argued several times before, if the Fed, once after having achieved its 2% target and remained at the target for several years, decides that a different target may be more effective for conducting monetary policy, they may decide to change the target.
We see the usual mess and risks in the world as you do, but we also are seeing more than enough interesting things in which to invest capital.
Municipal bonds posted negative total returns as the market reassessed macro expectations. Seasonal supply-and-demand dynamics were supportive, albeit less so than in prior years.
Yesterday, before the Super Bowl kicked off, VettaFi hosted an ETF game show at the Exchange conference in Miami. As part of the ETF Study Hall, we brought together the ETF community to help share information about some equity, fixed income, commodity, and even spot bitcoin ETFs.
High yield bonds are off their highs of 2023, but even now, with all-in yields around 8%, the asset class remains competitive with equities for total return potential with significantly better downside protection, according to Payden & Rygel’s Jordan Lopez and Nick Burns.
Of course, the market peaked in January 2022, just four months later, at 4796.56. Fast forward 2-full years of returning investors to breakeven, and the market is again approaching that magical round number of 5000.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, co-founder of FAST Graphs, a.k.a. Mr. Valuation and Professor Nathan Mauck will analyze Meta Platforms Inc. (aka Facebook) and its recent initiation of a dividend.
High yield did well across multiple sectors in the U.S., according to the BondBloxx Fixed Income Monthly Update for January.
Chinese equities are extremely cheap and priced for bad news. We believe this environment may present opportunities for active managers.
Closed-end funds (CEFs) are relatively under the radar compared to peers like exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and mutual funds. Closed-end funds are generally desirable for two reasons: 1) high income; and 2) premium/discount mechanism.
Most of us associate 529 accounts with college savings. They’re flexible, allowing you to transfer assets to anyone, including yourself, for the express purpose of furthering the education of your beneficiary. But did you know that a 529 can be a powerful estate planning tool?
A data-dependent Federal Reserve is keen to hold interest rates until it gets additional confirmation inflation is cooling. This could keep the window open for prospective bonds investors seeking value opportunities.
Franklin Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai discusses why the recent acceleration in productivity growth might prove durable, leading to higher potential returns on real investment and a higher equilibrium interest rate.
Over long horizons, dividends’ growth and reinvestment of those payouts serve as vital factors in portfolio growth. However, dividends aren’t guaranteed and with bond yields still high, some skittish investors may be inclined to embrace fixed income over equity income.
Investors face an urgent challenge in understanding, analyzing and managing biodiversity risks.
One of the more fascinating and mysterious parts of watching the Federal Reserve is the ongoing dialogue between Fed leaders and Wall Street. We imagine private meetings held in great secrecy. Those may in fact occur, but I’m not sure they are even necessary.
Tomorrow marks the start of China’s Lunar New Year, meaning it’s out with the Rabbit and in with the Dragon… but all eyes remain on the Bear. And no, I’m not talking about the hit Hulu series, but Russia.
Many advisors may be surprised to learn how many securities are needed for effective portfolio diversification. A common misconception among advisors is that true diversification and risk reduction can only be achieved by holding a large number of individual securities.
Investors experienced a shift in global risk sentiment during Q4, marked by lower inflation and the anticipation of an end to the rate hiking cycle.
One of the primary hurdles to broader adoption of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing principles and the related funds has been long-lacking clarity and regulatory framework covering ESG ratings and regulations.
The Fed poured cold water on a March rate cut, but the underlying message still has rates coming down—by a lot. Waiting for the starting point can be risky for investors.
Alongside great content, we’re also bringing some of the most prominent voices in finance to the stage. J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s chief global strategist Dr. David Kelly recently shared what he’s thinking about and watching in markets ahead of Exchange.
Mega-cap Tech names have been strong outperformers year-to-date. In fact, a composite of the biggest names, or MAGMAN (MSFT, APPL, GOOGL, META, AMZN, NVDA) is up 12%, while the rest of the S&P 500 is up just 2%.
Matt Bush and Evan Serdensky share their updated outlook following the latest FOMC meeting and the January jobs report.
Foreign policy is not all that foreign. That’s a key message from Dr. Richard Haass. He is President Emeritus, Council on Foreign Relations and Senior Counselor for Centerview Partners. Dr. Haass will also be at the Exchange conference in Miami on Monday.
The end of the Federal Reserve’s rate-hiking campaign and increased transaction activity will make 2024 a year of improved transparency and credit access for commercial real estate in the U.S., according to a new research paper by Morris Chen, Director of DoubleLine Capital’s Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities and Commercial Real Estate Debt team, and Product Specialist Phil Gioia.
With a laser focus on the future, David Mann, our Head of Global Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Product and Capital Markets, shares his 2024 outlook for the ETF industry and the key trends he sees taking shape.
The recurring theme of artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t going away soon. Members of the Magnificent Seven, which include household big tech names, saw their earnings boosted along with rosier outlooks thanks to the inclusion of AI in their respective business operations.
With eight seconds left on the play clock, Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs kicked a chip shot field goal that put the nail in the coffin for the Philadelphia Eagles.
A new ETF playoff champion has been crowned. Artificial Intelligence routed spot Bitcoin ETFs to claim the first-ever ETF championship.
I met with seniors from Duquesne University recently, all of them about your age. They are Finance Majors graduating in the spring and were looking for insights into investing, career advice and strategies for building successful careers.
Ten spot bitcoin exchange traded funds came to market last month, increasing access to the largest cryptocurrency for scores of advisors and investors. While that event is obviously pertinent to bitcoin itself, there are derivative beneficiaries.
U.S. Stocks were positive in January as more Goldilocks economic data fueled investor optimism. U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) came at a +3.3% for Q4 2023, much stronger than the expected 2% gain.
On the surface, there’s much to like about the job market. But when you get into the details, it’s not quite as strong and some things don’t add up.
Whether you have a family member turning 18, or someone in your life looking to build wealth from the bottom up, this primer provides a solid overview of the basic types of securities, investing strategies, and valuable lessons to help pave the path toward financial confidence.
Emerging-market equities have a bad rap. But a lost decade may have set up promising conditions for a recovery.
Your active managers are more competent than they look.
In February 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission adopted rule amendments to shorten the standard settlement cycle to T+1 for transactions in U.S. securities including equities, corporate bonds, unit investment trusts, and exchange-traded funds.
In less than 2 weeks, advisors will flock to sunny Miami for the annual Exchange Conference. Content sessions this year offer advisors insight into growing their business models in unexpected ways, the macro and market environment of 2024, navigating the AI revolution, and more.
Janus Henderson Investors Portfolio Managers Greg Wilensky and Jeremiah Buckley discuss what they consider the three essential elements of an effective balanced strategy in the current environment.
Exchange begins on Sunday, February 11! Like any big industry event, there are things you should do in advance that will make it easier for you to take advantage of the learning and networking opportunities.
