On the latest edition of Market Week in Review, Director of Investment Strategies, Shailesh Kshatriya, and ESG and Active Ownership Analyst Zoe Warganz discussed the U.S. inflation and retail sales reports from April, as well as the market’s reaction. They also chatted about the improving economic outlook in Europe.
In today's financial climate, marked by interest rate and geopolitical uncertainties, infrastructure investment offers financial and strategic opportunities. However, traditionally infrastructure portfolios have been divided into listed and unlisted segments, with investors choosing between one or the other.
Managers are increasingly focusing on sectors beyond tech that could benefit from the rise in AI in the short term. These include healthcare and consumer companies, which also have more attractive valuations.
Anticipation is one of those mental states that can result in either relief, or disappointment. We may anticipate the results of a test, for example, and feel relieved if the results are good, or disappointed if they are not.
The U.S. repurchase agreement, or “repo” market, provides more than $3 trillion in short-term funding each day. Most repo transactions are overnight and are collateralized by Treasuries.
ESG integration is a trend financial markets are familiar with, but that doesn’t mean all asset classes are at the same levels of progress. ESG means different things to different people, and its integration into equity investment does not represent the same journey experienced in fixed income.
As institutional investors, we most often represent risk as standard deviation or tracking error. But when we implement changes in our portfolios, the real-time risk happens much faster.
Do presidents and prime ministers make economies? Or do economies make presidents and prime ministers? 2024 is a year of significant elections, with more voters heading to the polls worldwide than ever before.
Life is full of surprises. If you don’t have a crystal ball, you can’t really predict what may come next in your life—or in the markets. That’s why we should always be prepared for any potential situation.
Over the last five years, financial markets grappled with two generational upheavals—the Covid pandemic and the subsequent inflation surge post the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Recent media coverage about how best to construct and manage portfolios has many wondering whether institutional investors are facing a paradigm shift right now.
As non-profit investors set their investment and spending policies, it is important to consider their organizational circumstances during a market shock.
We’ve just come through the first quarter of 2024 – and what a quarter it was! Hard on the heels of a robust end to 2023, the S&P 500 Index rose 11% in the first quarter of this year. This is the first time since 2012 that it’s had back-to-back double-digit quarterly returns.
Markets started the year anticipating several U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) rate cuts in 2024, but by the end of the first quarter, a continued string of stronger-than-anticipated economic data readings led to a significant dialing-down of expectations.
Private markets have been viewed by institutional investors as key to a well-diversified portfolio. Benefits of these strategies: long-term outperformance over public markets, with increasingly important diversification benefits as the universe of publicly traded stocks continues shrinking and performance becomes increasingly concentrated to a few mega-cap tech companies.
On the latest edition of Market Week in Review, Investment Strategist BeiChen Lin and Sophie Antal-Gilbert, Head of AIS Portfolio & Business Consulting, discussed the U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product reading. They also reviewed the latest U.S. inflation data and provided an update on U.S. first-quarter earnings season.
Much like the NFL draft, portfolio managers undergo rigorous evaluations. Their track record, investment process, and stock selection process are considered. Additionally, qualitative assessments, including manager interviews and onsite visits, offer insights into their character and decision-making prowess.
Another strong quarter in markets led to another stellar performance for the Momentum and Growth factors.
It’s a frequent question asked by organizations looking for an outsourced investment solutions provider. Our answer may surprise you.
Investing in private markets has obvious upsides, including potential higher returns, access to a broader opportunity set, and greater diversification.
Just as a GPS navigator analyzes real-time data to recalibrate routes efficiently, active management interprets market conditions to steer portfolios towards investment goals.
Japan has had two big moments in the last month, with the Nikkei 225 equity index breaking above the highs set in 1989, and the Bank of Japan (BoJ) raising interest rates for the first time in 17 years.
Our investment leadership team convened twice on Sunday to discuss the conflict between Iran and Israel, its key watchpoints in the days ahead, and the pertinent risks onto markets, our investment portfolios, and our clients. The team broadly agreed that maintaining a slightly defensive posture across portfolio strategies remained appropriate.
Despite expectations for interest rate cuts by the Fed, yields have risen since the start of the year, with the government 10-year bond yield climbing nearly 70 bps this year through April 10. This is a sharp reversal from what occurred in Q4 2023 when the 10-year yield collapsed by 71 bps.
On the latest edition of Market Week in Review, Investment Strategist BeiChen Lin and Product Operations Analyst McKenna Painter unpacked the latest U.S. inflation numbers. They also discussed recent rate decisions by the European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of Canada (BoC) as well as the economic and market outlook for China.
April 15 is undoubtedly one day that is not enthusiastically celebrated by most people. It is safe to say that the discomfort around Tax Day likely ranks right up there with your annual physical or renewing your driver’s license.
Private markets continue to become an even more prevalent component of investor portfolios, providing access to an expanded opportunity set and strong diversification beyond traditional stocks and bonds.
How might investors consider positioning their portfolios amid today's complex and uncertain economic landscape?
It can be hard work onboarding clients, so the last thing you want is to lose them. Yet many advisors DID lose clients in 2023. Here are some ideas to improve client retention in 2024.
When it comes to the private real estate sector, the mention of the U.S. commercial office sector scares many investors away. While the office sector may give some investors pause, it's also prudent to look at the bigger picture.
On Jan. 30, Senior Director and Head of ESG and Investment Management Kris Tomasovic Nelson moderated an online discussion exploring the findings of Russell Investments’ 2023 Manager ESG Survey. In its ninth year, the annual survey offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of ESG practices within the investment management industry.
We believe optimism over a soft-landing scenario—where economic growth slows but a recession is avoided—may deliver more near-term market gains, as inflation declines and central banks look to start easing around mid-year.
In the ever-evolving investment landscape, one thing has persisted for decades: the debate about the superiority of active or passive strategies.
Planning on implementing a large portfolio change in the second quarter? You’ll want to pay attention to this calendar.
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.
In a move aimed at offering voters a pre-election giveaway, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt cut national insurance contributions by 2 percentage points in his spring budget. He had previously cut national insurance contributions by 2 percentage points in the autumn budget less than four months ago.
When the regional banking woes unfolded in March 2023, we argued that the challenges were not likely to be systemic. We continue to think that the challenges facing regional banks are likely contained, though near-term market volatility is always possible.
Learn how to engage and tailor approaches for women, addressing unique challenges and priorities in financial planning. Discover insights and resources to actively support female clients, seize opportunities, and shape the future of wealth management for women.
The average expected return on asset (EROA) assumption for the largest U.S.-listed pension plan sponsors increased to 6.70% in 2023—the first time a year-over-year increase has been observed in 19 years of records.
Not all investment returns are the same. Some are taxed at a higher rate than others. The Form 1099-DIV can help you analyze the Investment Tax Health of your clients. By looking at how much the investor received in different investment returns, you can calculate how much federal tax they will need to pay.
An investment program with dedicated but limited internal resources can extend its staff through a strategic partnership with an external investment solutions provider.
Careful data management and having a formal impact measurement framework in place are essential to preventing greenwashing and ensuring consistent impact delivery.
The Magnificent Seven stocks (Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla) have been the largest driver of equity returns in recent years and were again the dominant contributors in 2023, accounting for more than half of the market increase.
Looking back, I believe the financial advisors who were most willing to adapt to changing times were generally more able to set themselves apart from the crowd and experienced a higher rate of success.
The consumer price index (CPI) for January showed that core inflation held steady at a rate of 3.9% last month, a small setback in a trend of moderating inflation in the U.S. Healing in global supply chains and a rebalancing of the U.S. labor market have helped to dramatically tame inflation over the past year.
China's economy has disappointed most expectations over the past year. China's need to rebalance from investment to consumption is coming when tensions with the U.S. are elevated. This could create continued volatility. We believe China does have the levers to alleviate some key challenges.
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.
Chinese equities are extremely cheap and priced for bad news. We believe this environment may present opportunities for active managers.
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.
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.