Municipal bonds sold off considerably in September alongside vastly rising interest rates.
A run of shrinking quarterly profits may finally end soon, but it's probably not time to break out the champagne just yet.
In a year in which active strategies have done so well via allocator interest, as well as with their own returns, an active ETF could make a very good addition.
Value-conscious, historically-informed, full-cycle investors place a great deal of emphasis on the relationship between the price an investor pays today and the cash flows they can expect to receive in the future. The reason is simple.
The High Yield Bond category is up 5.9% through September, ranking it among the best performers in the fixed income space. Payden & Rygel’s Jordan Lopez and Nick Burns outline three factors contributing to the market’s strength.
With artificial intelligence, systematic investing is entering a new era of disciplined decision-making. Yet, firms face many snags. Rigorous implementation requires collaboration among skillful investment, technology, and quantitative capabilities.
At the end of October we will get our first look at real GDP growth for the third quarter and it looks like it was very strong.
Psychology in markets is always fascinating. In February 2009, I wrote “8 Reasons For A Bull Market.” While in hindsight, it is easy to see that was the right call, overall, psychology was highly negative at the time.
Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Research Analysts Ashley Allen and Bryant Dieffenbacher discuss the food, water and energy sectors and what their convergence means for investors.
A money market fund is a type of mutual fund that invests in debt securities, specifically those characterized by short maturities and minimal credit risk. A money market fund generates income with little to no capital appreciation, making it a low-risk, low-return investment.
Our September Cyclical Forum was the first to be held in London, where the economic situation today reflects what’s happening around the world.
With oil prices trending higher, among other factors, market participants are bracing for a renewed round of elevated inflation. That could stoke renewed interest in traditional inflation-fighting asset classes, but investors may not want to overlook the ability of Bitcoin to act as inflation protection.
As a strategist, I work with financial advisors every day creating custom fixed income portfolios based on client’s financial needs and goals – with a keen eye on the importance of a balanced portfolio.
Even prior to this week’s spike in oil prices associated with renewed tensions in the Middle East, last week was ramping up to be a big week for electric vehicles (EVs) and their supply chain.
We see promising potential in countries with younger populations and forward-looking policies, such as India, Indonesia, and Mexico.
The higher-for-longer interest rates narrative could continue to negatively affect small-cap companies. This is because they look to stay afloat in the current macroeconomic environment.
“Restrictive for longer” is now the mantra as monetary policymakers seek to bring inflation reliably to target.
In the most recent FOMC meeting, the committee decided to refrain from raising rates again, but held open the prospect for further hikes this year.
As the second quarter came to a close, the Fed’s elusive soft landing appeared to be within reach. However, inflation resurfaced during the third quarter, substantially complicating the near-term economic outlook.
When your system, whatever it may be, is working extremely well, we used to say it’s “firing on all 8 cylinders.” What does that mean?
Savvy investors are aware that geopolitical tensions and uncertainty can significantly influence the financial markets.
Is now the time to add an active foreign equities allocation? Investors have likely already considered a case to diversify domestic-heavy portfolios with international equities.
Reverting to old fiscal rules will create a strong economic headwind for Europe.
The spike in bond yields presents an opportunity for fixed income investors to earn capital gains and diversify portfolios.
Among U.S.-based original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has a sizable, significantly profitable lead over the “big three” in the electric vehicle space, but on a global basis, the industry is evolving and close to a major inflection point.
Most investors are aware of certain taxes on their investments, such as on dividends, interest and capital gains. But those are just the tip of the iceberg.
GMO has published a new 7-Year Asset Class Forecast
After three quarters of improving economic outlook amid increasing expectations for a painless decline in global inflation, markets and pundits alike have become less optimistic about a soft landing as they reacted to frustration from the Fed.
Breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder, and a black cat crossing your path have all been seen as bad omens.
With all eyes on generative AI (genAI) and its transformative potential, individual investors’ interest has been piqued. The market-moving innovation certainly has generated a lot of hype ― and questions. Equity CIO Tony DeSpirito parses three reasons for excitement and three areas for awareness.
However, $22 billion moved into fundamentally weighted equity index ETFs, while dividend and momentum ETFs had outflows. This is sizable and warrants some added attention.
Slower growth and rising interest rates have tapped the brakes on private deal activity this year. But as banks continue to retreat from lending, we see plenty of opportunity for investors to pick their spots across the broad private credit universe.
Older workers can still be a source of relief for tight labor markets.
The first nine months of 2023 have seen significant growth. Despite this growth, questions remain. Income is top of mind as many investors worry about the potential of a recession, the ongoing high-rate environment, and market uncertainty. Enter the Income Strategy symposium.
A liquidity gap is growing as banks curtail specialty lending, providing specialty finance investors opportunities for potential better risk-adjusted returns than we’ve seen since the GFC.
In this second episode, Franklin Templeton Institute’s Tony Davidow discusses opportunities in alternative credit strategies with Richard Byrne from Benefit Street Partners.
Gold has lost $170 since hitting a peak of $2,050 per ounce in early May.
In his latest memo, Howard Marks provides a follow-up to Sea Change (December 2022). He argues that the trends highlighted in the original memo collectively represent a sweeping alteration of the investment environment that calls for significant capital reallocation.
Like a watched pot that refuses to boil, the much-anticipated recession of 2023 has yet to materialize. In our latest Strategic Income outlook, we examine the reasons and discuss what might finally cause the temperature to rise.
Yet again, the Federal Reserve’s battle to tame inflation has hit a speed bump. This week’s jobs report came in surprisingly strong, and while it may see revisions, it’s yet another point toward a lengthening rate cycle.
Investing in China remains challenging but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities. Portfolio manager Vivek Tanneeru and Head of Portfolio Strategy David Dali highlight one approach that potentially can deliver alpha generation today while positioning for a potential upturn tomorrow.
Making the case for municipal bonds today with Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute.
Broadly speaking, large- and mega-cap tech stocks are far from bear market territory. But the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) closed 6% below its 52-week high last Friday.
New bank rules will raise borrowing costs and weigh on economic activity.
The Federal Reserve (Fed) only controls one rate of interest, and it is a very short-term rate called the federal funds rate, the rate that banks charge each other for overnight, intra-bank loans.
Quarterly Macro Themes, a quarterly publication by our Macroeconomic and Investment Research Group, explores critical and timely areas of research and updates our baseline views on the economy.
The quarter started off strong enough in July but gave up ground in both August and September. The total return of the S&P 500 was down 3.27% for the quarter.
One and three hundred years before the enormity of the present dilemma began to dawn on the Federal Reserve, a similar moment arrived within the stone walls of the Banque Royale. You may recall the scene we visited last year.
With gold prices in a sustained decline, investors who had an interest in this asset class may begin looking elsewhere.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale and Colton Carnevale will do a deep dive into this company and help you determine if NextEra Energy is at an attractive entry point today or not, watch the video to find out!
