The new Trump Administration hasn’t wasted any time since last week’s election win, with new information around economic policy and staffing appointments making news on a daily basis. In our opinion, the recent announcement of a new Department of Government Efficiency or “DOGE” headed by Elon Musk (who obviously came up with this name and acronym) and Vivek Ramaswamy, has been the most important so far.
Municipal bonds broke their winning streak in October, posting negative total returns alongside broader fixed income assets.
The 10 largest stocks in the S&P 500 returned a staggering 104.6% from January 2023 through June 2024—more than double the broader index return
The economy played a critical role in the 2024 presidential race, creating the conditions not only for Donald Trump to trounce Kamala Harris, but also for a counter-elite to usher in a new power structure. Will the Democrats and “establishment” experts get the message?
Healthcare companies often grab headlines for their exciting drug innovations. But we think the focus should be on business fundamentals.
A year-round focus on taxes can unlock value for investors in higher brackets—and it can help advisors prove their own value.
U.S. rate cuts of up to 200bps are anticipated by the end of 2025 but with significant further downside if recession risks materialize.
Before the year 2024 comes to a close, it's time to optimize your tax strategy. Our Bill Cass shares some tips including timing deductions and harvesting losses.
One of the core principles of a long-term dividend portfolio is to invest in companies that are integral to society and will be for many years to come. Transportation falls into that category.
Much of modern finance falls into one of two camps, neoclassical finance and behavioral finance. The former posits efficient markets, the latter posits the opposite.
Following a tense presidential election, equity markets roared to record highs – the S&P 500 put on its best weekly showing in over a year.
As a major corn and soybean consumer, China is keeping prices in limbo. A potential trade war could add additional intrigue.
In addition to the headlines championing new heights, here are five things everyone should know about bitcoin.
In many ways it didn’t matter what those answers were, just that they were out of the way and investors and US companies could begin to plan accordingly for Q4, 2025 and beyond.
Recent data, early results, and a relatively firm economy point toward possible improvement in Q3 retail earnings as Walmart, Target, and other big-box stores prepare to report.
Your fixed income strategy does not necessarily need to be adjusted based on every personnel or environmental change.
While history shows that U.S. markets tend to perform regardless of political leadership, the full impact of Trump’s policies could bring new challenges and opportunities for investors globally once he is in office.
Change is on the horizon for hard working Americans saving for their future, as 401(k) plans are now embracing private market investments. Savers may soon have access to opportunities previously reserved for institutional investors.
Emerging-market (EM) corporates have a track record of resilience across market cycles.
The election results triggered a positive market response. The S&P 500 rose +2.5% on Wednesday following the election.
Recent insights from Natixis Investment Managers breaks down a few fixed income risks that investors may not be aware of.
Last week’s developments mark one of the most pivotal weeks in recent memory.
With the outcome of the election now known, we will continue to assess how policy changes impact our broader view.
From beginning to end, the 2024 election cycle will be looked back on as historic
For DC plan sponsors, developing a short list of income solutions is a good first step.
As the year winds down, many investors focus on year-end charitable giving and tax planning. Finding a charity and donating money is the easy part. Taking slightly different approaches to gifting can yield dramatically different results from a tax perspective.
October’s market activity can be neatly summarized in a single chart: the dollar (BBDXY) was strong and U.S. stocks (the VOO ETF tracks the S&P 500 index) meaningfully outperformed international stocks (VXUS).
Republicans won the White House and Senate in the 2024 U.S. election, while vote counting continues for the House of Representatives. Here's a look at the policies that could affect markets.
Here’s our outlook on what to expect and how investors might navigate this new phase.
Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Alphabet, and Amazon all experienced fluctuations in their shares, leading to a two-week losing streak in October after five months of gains. Despite this, Financials, Communications Services, and Energy sectors remained positive. Looking ahead, we're analyzing President-elect Trump's platform and its potential implications for corporate taxes, regulations, tariffs, inflation, and economic growth.
Even with Republicans poised to control the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives, slim congressional majorities could hinder the president’s efforts to enact his agenda.
For investors who have been considering active investing, the post-election market swing could be the trigger to dive in.
With a "Red Sweep" in Washington likely, markets are now pricing in a more aggressive policy agenda.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, Co-Founder of FAST Graphs, a.k.a. Mr. Valuation will cover the Communication Services Sector.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury surged to about 4.4% just after the election, even though it has come back down close to pre-election levels recently.
With the Russell 2000 Index rallying in response to the U.S. election results—the benchmark index of small cap stocks soared by nearly 6% on Nov. 6 alone—small cap managers are re-evaluating their positioning ahead of President-elect Trump taking office in January.
Instead of dreading volatile markets, the savvy advisor understands that during these times, her professional skill is most valuable and she can fulfill the vital role that she was hired to accomplish.
Retirement plan savers looking to mitigate the risk of higher taxes in the future may benefit from making after-tax contributions to employer plans, which may be transferred to Roth accounts. Our Bill Cass details a “mega backdoor” Roth strategy.
The Fed cut rates by 0.25%, with limited changes to the statement, while Powell's blunt "no" response about any coming political pressure to resign was headline grabbing.
In a week with a U.S. presidential election and market volatility, the Federal Reserve cut its policy rate 25 basis points (bps) as expected. Amid this noise and the generally positive messages from recent macro data, Fed Chair Jerome Powell emphasized that downside economic risks had decreased, but the policy rate remains above neutral, suggesting that gradual cuts are still likely to come over time.
The Federal Reserve cut short-term rates by a quarter percentage point last week, like pretty much everyone expected. In addition, the Fed didn’t push back hard against market expectations of another quarter-point cut in mid-December, so unless the economic or financial news changes dramatically by then, expect a repeat at the next meeting.
The prospect of a Trump presidency has led to much debate and speculation about how markets might react. Depending on what policies are eventually passed, there are potential risks and opportunities in both the stock and bond markets.
Many tech companies and executives are at political odds with President-elect Trump, but the sector performed well during his first term.
The housing market inderwent huge transformations in recent decades with the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis & the COVID-19 pandemic.
Today is Veterans Day. My father served in the army during the Vietnam War. He lives in Long Island, New York, and I am proud of his service.
Accumulating inconsistencies in the prevailing paradigm then trigger a crisis, leading to the emergence of new theories and ideas, resulting in a paradigm shift where the old framework is rapidly replaced by a new one.
I went to bed “early” on election night, around 10:30 pm. We are in the five months of the year where Puerto Rico is one hour ahead of Eastern time, and nothing I was seeing made me think it would be an early night. And by that I meant 3 or 4 am.
On the latest edition of Market Week in Review, Chief Investment Strategist for North America, Paul Eitelman, discussed key watchpoints for investors in the wake of the U.S. elections. He also explained how the election results are impacting markets, and finished with an update on the latest monetary policy decisions from the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) and the Bank of England (BoE).
We are in a world where multiple, starkly different outcomes are possible. The decisive U.S. election outcome has stoked uncertainty about future U.S. policy.
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was a groundbreaking concept when it appeared in 1943. American psychologist Abraham Maslow argued that certain basic needs—food, water, shelter, etc.—must be met before a person can move on to higher levels of self-worth and fulfillment.