Many observe the impacts of e-commerce growth as decimating commercial retail properties, leaving empty big-box warehouses and strip malls in its wake. While this may be true to a certain extent, it ignores the potential opportunity this new trend is creating in the industrial property sector.
Trade issues continued to dominate headlines in June, with easing in US-China trade tensions providing a boost to emerging markets overall during the month. But Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity cautions trade-related headwinds could persist. The team shares its latest emerging-market outlook and explains why the small-cap space looks attractive right now.
As an active investment manager with a firm commitment to integrating environmental, social and governance analysis into its investment processes, Franklin Templeton recognizes its responsibility to raise awareness of climate transition issues.
The technology sector has been on a volatile ride of late, driven in large part by the fortunes of some household names.
Accelerated demand for regional debt suggests a constructive remainder of 2019 for bonds in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), according to Dino Kronfol, chief investment officer, Franklin Templeton Global Sukuk and MENA Fixed Income. He outlines four things that are at the top of his mind for GCC debt in the current economic climate. He also shares why he thinks the MENA region could provide fertile ground for fixed income investors searching for yield.
Can stakeholders (regulators, policymakers and market participants) deliver a sustainable finance framework that serves the end-client well?
Franklin Equity Group's Fred Fromm explains the global oil supply-demand dynamics responsible for the bouts of oil market volatility we've seen this year.
The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady at its June meeting; it emphasized its data-driven approach to policy decisions but noted it believes the case for lower interest rates to be strengthening.
China will be launching a Nasdaq-style stock market for technology and research-driven companies to list and raise capital. While it has some detractors, Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity believes this upcoming board is of strategic importance to China.
Trade tensions caused investors to back away from emerging markets in May, but there are many reasons to be optimistic about the asset class and the earnings outlook ahead.
Saudi Arabia’s inclusion in the MSCI Emerging Market Index marks a significant milestone for the MENA region.
Amid a renewed US-China trade spat and additional tariff tensions between the United States and Mexico, investor concerns about a possible recession have heightened.
After ratcheting up trade tensions with China, the Trump administration has threatened tariffs on Mexico over illegal US border crossings.
What’s the investment lesson in Europe’s recent parliamentary elections? Our Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai says it’s differentiation. Read more of what’s on her mind about this topic.
Once upon a time, US municipal bonds were generally considered less risky than corporate bonds. Backed by the full faith and credit of state governments, investors had confidence they would receive their principal plus interest without fail. Times have changed.
Many companies are staying private for longer before deciding to go public—if they do so at all. But what does that mean for investors?
European parliamentary elections don’t typically generate international headlines, but with Brexit still unsettled, this time they are front and center.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has finally confirmed the date she intends to resign, after enduring growing criticism from members of her own party. According to David Zahn, our Head of European Fixed Income, this development significantly increases the chances of the United Kingdom crashing out of the European Union (EU) without a deal. He expects a likely negative market response, but argues there may be opportunities for shrewd active managers.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May has finally confirmed the date she intends to resign as UK Prime Minister, after enduring growing criticism from members of her own party.
Recent statistics on student loan debt have found some rather alarming trends. Not only are many parents prioritizing the financing of college for their children over their own retirement, but some are still paying off their own student debt—even into their 60s.
The war of words between the Trump administration and China threatens to break out into a full-scale trade war.
Franklin Templeton’s Emerging Markets Equity team walks through events moving emerging markets in April and discusses the three things the team is thinking about today. The team believes the current market environment provides an attractive entry point for investors, particularly in the small-cap stock space.
The rising cost of health care has been a political hot button issue for years, and Franklin Templeton’s 2019 “Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations (RISE)” survey revealed it remains a top concern today.
It’s been a tough road for value investors during the past decade or so, even leading some pundits to declare the investing style is dead.
Many observers are predicting that European elections later this month will usher a wave of populist representatives into the European Parliament.
Once upon a time, bonds backed by a government’s full faith and credit pledge were generally considered less risky than corporate bonds. Times have changed. In today’s political climate, not all governments inspire us with the same confidence.
In the decade since the global financial crisis, many investors have either actively steered—or ended up with—a large portion of their portfolios in investments tied to economic growth, namely stocks.
Renewable energy production in Latin America has grown dramatically over the last decade. The use of green technology like wind turbines and solar arrays continues to expand, as countries like Brazil seek to improve energy security and lower carbon emissions.
It’s easy for investors to fall into what is known as “home country bias,” looking only within their own country’s borders for opportunities. Investors may be missing the boat if they don’t expand their opportunity set beyond their shores.
Many investors flock to municipal bonds because of potential tax advantages. While this year’s taxes are probably already done and dusted, Franklin Templeton’s municipal bond team felt it was an appropriate time to revisit the opportunities and risks that recent US tax reform poses for the space.
Brexit may have been delayed again. The European Union has offered to allow the United Kingdom more time to decide how it wants to leave. While the measure may prevent a no-deal Brexit in the short term, our Head of European Fixed Income David Zahn thinks it may simply be saving up problems for the future.
Brexit negotiations are once again going to the wire. With no resolution in place and the clock ticking down, Sandy Nairn, chairman of Templeton Global Equity Group and CEO of Edinburgh Partners, looks at the possible outcomes.
The prospect of a “trade war” between the United States and China has caused some investor trepidation over the past year. But are the fears of economic fallout from this “war” warranted? And, was there ever really a war at all?
In the face of slowing economic growth, the Chinese authorities appear ready to act. Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity’s Sukumar Rajah and Jason Zhu explain how measures announced at the 13th National People’s Congress are designed to shore up China’s growth prospects.
There has been a lot of talk the past few years about the flattening of the US yield curve—which is a graphical representation of the spread between short- and long-term interest-rate instruments. More recently, some market commentators have focused on the inversion of one part of the curve—and what it means.
The US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates steady at its March meeting came as little surprise, but its updated “dot plot” projections were interpreted by markets as sending a decidedly more dovish signal than expected.
After a nail-biting few hours, European Union leaders have agreed to the UK government’s request to delay Brexit, albeit the extension is less than Theresa May had requested. But our Head of European Fixed Income David Zahn believes the decision does little more than reset the clock and he warns there is still a strong chance that the United Kingdom could still crash out without a deal.
In economic (and political) circles, “Modern Monetary Theory” has gotten some buzz of late. What does it mean—and does it have any merit? Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Chief Investment Officer Sonal Desai thinks it’s not only potentially dangerous, but offers intellectual fuel for populism.
Some commentators have described March 13 as the most important day in the Brexit saga since the June 2016 referendum. UK members of parliament have voted to reject a situation in which the United Kingdom crashes out of the European Union without a deal.
European equities are the great unloved asset class. But Dylan Ball, head of European Equity Strategies, Templeton Global Equity Group, thinks that status means there should be some opportunities to be found for long-term investors.
Emerging market equities saw mixed performances in February, with stocks in Asia faring better than stocks in Latin America and emerging Europe, which underperformed.
Climate change, like any type of disruption, has disparate impacts on people, places and things. It can also have disparate impacts on corporations and investments.
Our Head of Equities, Stephen Dover, takes a look at what’s driving growth in high-frequency trading. He also explains why the algorithms behind the trading can lead to bouts of increased market volatility that may create opportunities for long-term investors.
Powerful retailing disruptors are reshaping expectations about shopping and shipping by digitizing retail markets across the globe. New conveniences such as ordering groceries with a simple voice command are upending the old-world order.
Emerging market equities were off to a strong start overall in 2019, rebounding from a 2018 downturn.
While the financial markets seem to be betting on a very extended pause in the US Federal Reserve’s multiyear tightening cycle, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group Chief Investment Officer Sonal Desai has another idea. Here, she makes the case that interest-rate hikes may still be on the table this year.
The market environment for value investors over the past few years has been less than ideal, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t opportunities to be had.
While some observers might worry that the current global economic cycle is ending, Templeton Global Macro CIO Michael Hasenstab characterizes the slowing growth we are experiencing as a cyclical slowdown, not the end of the cycle. He is more concerned with the political vulnerabilities he's seeing in the global economy today, and says the world's increasing fragmentation due to populist policies is a major concern.
Robert Nelson, a portfolio manager with Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, believes emerging market corporate debt presents a compelling but under-appreciated investment story. Here he sets out three reasons why investors might consider an allocation to the asset class.
