The Middle East war has entered a fragile ceasefire, offering tentative relief to energy and financial markets. Oil prices have eased and volatility has subsided, feeding hopes that the worst disruptions may be passing.
Join the experts at Pictet for a product due diligence session covering how PBOT opens portfolios to direct exposure to AI and automation, from semiconductors and software to advanced manufacturing and autonomous systems.
You don’t have to agree with Chater and Loewenstein’s “crowding-out” hypothesis or their policy prescriptions to benefit from It’s on You, which will, at a minimum, allow the reader to identify and deconstruct i-frame PR when they come across it.
With a better understanding of the derivatives and leverage that led to the GFC, we now explore private credit — a small “niche” financial sector, such as subprime mortgages — which is being called the next match to light a financial bonfire.
It’s tax season, and we’ve been reading a lot about taxes — and strategies for mitigating them. In this note, we’ll take a close look at one such strategy, known as leveraged long/short direct index tax-loss harvesting (LSDI), and explain how investors being pitched the strategy can assess whether it’s right for them.
If the first quarter of 2026 taught us anything, it's that markets are dynamic and that the factors shaping them extend well beyond corporate fundamentals. The road ahead presents a wider range of outcomes than investors have faced in some time. The outlook remains fluid and highly dependent on how several key factors evolve.
The world’s most important central banks will potentially hand investors fresh reasons to sell government bonds this week as policymakers find themselves forced to confront the risk of a war-driven inflation shock.
On Monday, the index returned to record highs, eclipsing the previous peak hit before the war started in Iran. Yet, when compared with the US market, emerging-market shares screen as cheaper than at the start of the war, reinforcing the case for investors to add exposure.
United Airlines Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby confirmed he approached American Airlines Group Inc. and that talks have ended, laying out the virtues of a merger that he said could have strengthened corporate America and won approval from regulators.
US stock futures were little changed on Monday after a four-week rally, starting a busy week of corporate earnings and the US central bank’s policy meeting with a relative calm while investors monitor the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz amid stalled Iran peace talks.
A data center developer is seeking $4.54 billion in junk-debt financing for an artificial intelligence project tied to Nvidia Corp., testing investor appetite after a recent surge in offerings.
As of this writing, the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively closed since February 28. Roughly 20% of the world’s seaborne oil stopped moving through the chokepoint. T
As the Q1 2026 earnings season enters its most frantic stretch, the market stands at a critical crossroads between resilient corporate fundamentals and macro-driven anxiety. While the high percentage of early beats suggests that American business remains surprisingly nimble, the coming days will determine if that momentum can withstand the Mag 7’s massive spending requirements.
Like many of you, I am inundated with information. Most of it is not useful or repetitive. Today, were going to do something different. Rather than one theme, let’s look at various bits of data that I found interesting this week.
Leaders often have trouble focusing on the longer-term. In the corporate arena, pressure to produce quarterly earnings can truncate planning horizons. In public life, popular opinion and election cycles can impose myopia. It takes a unique set of ingredients to set, and stick to, a lasting vision.
Congressional confirmation hearings tend to generate far more noise than signal, and this one was no exception. Between politicians posturing for the cameras in hopes of becoming their party’s next rising star, and nominees exercising extreme caution to avoid missteps under oath, these hearings rarely produce actionable insights.
Back-and-forth developments over the weekend around the Strait of Hormuz have added near-term volatility to energy markets. That uncertainty is feeding into oil prices and reinforcing questions about how persistent energy-driven inflation pressures could become, particularly if disruption risks continue to ebb and flow.
Maharrey identified October 2025 as the turning point when a full-scale silver squeeze took hold. Tight inventories collided with logistical disruptions and surging physical demand.
Last week’s economic data was defined by conflicting signals from the consumer. While retail figures suggest resilience, sentiment levels have plummeted to record lows. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 continued its historic rally as markets prepare for the upcoming Fed decision.
After positive earnings releases from peer semiconductors like Texas Instruments, Taiwan Semiconductor, and ASML, it was Intel’s turn to further support the notion that the semiconductor industry is doing just fine amid the recent volatility.
The primary contagion risk is sector concentration. Software and tech-enabled services represent roughly 15-20% of direct lending portfolios. A meaningful portion of these loans also resides in the Broadly Syndicated Loan (BSL) market – the bedrock of CLO ETFs – leading to a software weighting of 12–18% in typical CLO collateral pools.
There’s no shortage these days of stories, posts and videos warning of the robot armies readying to vacuum up white-collar jobs in technology, finance, marketing, you name it. And there’s no doubt that artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how we live and work. Amid all this, though, a relative calm has descended on the labor market and should persist for the rest of this year, at least.
The index is on the verge of doubling for the first time in this bull market – currently up ~99% – a move that would take just under 3.5 years, slightly faster than the historical average of 3.9 years. While all sectors are in positive territory over this period, leadership has been narrow with only three – technology, communication services and industrials – posting gains above 100%.
Budget airlines are going broke. Spirit Airlines may go under or get a government bailout, and JetBlue is just barely avoiding bankruptcy this year. It didn’t need to be this way. They tried to merge in 2024, but the merger was blocked because President Joe Biden’s administration was concerned that greater consolidation would lead to higher prices.
The bigger the vacuum becomes, the longer it will take to refill those inventories whenever whatever passes for normality finally arrives. Oil prices along the curve would need to rise accordingly to encourage excess production — or, conversely, achieve the same outcome by destroying demand.
Clients may love the relative safety of cash, but many advisors know those assets could do more. A multisector bond approach for example, offers plenty of rewards for those willing to dive in. The right ETF can give tax efficient exposure to the space, providing both yield and total return.
Even before the first active dual share class fund from Dimensional launched, active mutual funds and ETFs were already roommates rather than existing in separate silos. Ben Johnson, head of client solutions at Morningstar, revealed in a LinkedIn post that active managers are increasingly using ETFs as essential tools for building portfolios.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX is no stranger to the stratosphere, and neither is its coming initial public offering.
As a more than $20 billion borrowing frenzy to build out data centers descended on the junk-bond market this year, some issuers offered up a rare sweetener: an early cash payback.
X-Energy Inc., a nuclear energy firm that counts Amazon.com Inc. as a backer, raised $1.02 billion in an upsized US initial public offering that priced above the marketed range.
Global bond markets are heading for their worst week in a month as investors grow increasingly uneasy about a stalemate between the US and Iran.
Intel Corp. shares are on track to hit their highest level ever after the chipmaker delivered a sales forecast that shattered Wall Street expectations.
The spring edition of our Investment Directions takes on a new look. As the weather heats up, our “summer body” of work embraces a slimmed down word count, Q&A format, and visualfirst approach – better for consuming on the go, or preferably, outdoors.
With policy changes creating more access to retirement savings plans, more workers are saving for the future. According to the Investment Company Institute, nearly 75% of households own some form of tax-advantaged retirement account such as a 401(k) or IRA.
Investors often view commercial real estate (CRE) through the narrow lens of the office sector. We think this office-only focus understates how broad the asset class is and its potential. Offices may face well-documented headwinds, but many other CRE segments appear more resilient.
Kevin Warsh's bid to become the next chair of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) unfolded amid sharp political tension, legal uncertainty, and pointed questions about his independence from President Trunp. During a combative Senate confirmation hearing, Warsh sought to reassure lawmakers that he would not allow political pressure to dictate monetary policy, even as unresolved Justice Department investigation into current Chair Jerome Powell threatens to delay his confirmation and underscores broader concerns about the politicization of the central bank.
Markets are being pulled in multiple directions. Geopolitical tensions, questions around Federal Reserve policy and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence are all competing for investor attention.
Markets have long struggled to price geopolitical risk. Part of the issue is that each flare-up tends to be viewed as a one-off volatility jolt to be weathered and then faded once there is resolution.
During and after World War II, Allied forces established airbases across remote Pacific Islands, bringing with them food, medicine, tools, and machinery that the indigenous people had never encountered before.
For ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families, wealth brings opportunity, but also extraordinary complexity. Multi-generational estate planning, concentrated equity positions, private investments, tax-efficient strategies, philanthropic structures, and family governance decisions all intersect in ways that demand thoughtful oversight.
Higher oil prices have both positive and negative effects on the municipal bond market. Investors may want to evaluate their concentration risk.
At this point, investors of all ages are well aware just how much inflation can cut into one’s spending power, whether it be for everyday expenses or big-time purchases.
Stocks have been on a bit of a rollercoaster over the past two months. If your nature is to tune out the noise and check in occasionally, you might have missed it. After a 9 percent sell-off earlier in the year, markets quickly rebounded and have recently traded at all-time highs.
The sheer complexity of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) using derivative-based strategies could have investors turning the other away. Instead, investors have been running towards them. The capital markets witnessed a surge in demand for these tactical ETF tools during the first quarter of 2026, making it a topical theme at the most recent Nasdaq-sponsored Asset Allocation Summit.
Join the experts at Victory Capital for an educational webcast that explores how FCF analysis can identify resilient companies with the potential to weather market volatility and help your clients stay invested.
Volatility, tighter margins, and rising client expectations are prompting many Advisors to reassess whether their current broker-dealer or firm is still the best long-term fit. If you’re considering a transition, in this article we will discuss 10 essential questions to help guide your decision.
After years weighing how to dive deeper into private credit, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s $4.3 trillion asset manager is committing to a strategy that will plow tens of billions of dollars into loans sourced by the firm’s commercial bankers.
Jay Leno’s latest hosting gig involves a classic car, an airport construction site and municipal bonds.
Nearly two months into the conflict in Iran, global stock markets are staging a defiant rally. From the US to Taiwan and South Korea, a disconnect has emerged: while the geopolitical tensions remain high, equities are charging back toward all-time highs.
Intel Corp. has been one of the hottest stocks in the market over the past 12 months, soaring more than 240% to the highest price since the dot-com bubble. But the rally is facing a potential roadblock in the company’s first-quarter earnings report due after the close Thursday.
