Last week’s Fed meeting resulted in a much-anticipated interest rate reduction of 25 bps, to a range of 4 percent to 4.25 percent. This move followed a nine-month pause in its rate-cutting cycle, which began a year ago.

With German fiscal spending rising, interest rates low and reforms continuing, European value stocks have the potential to shine despite the current political uncertainties, says Franklin Mutual Series.

Water scarcity, supply-chain risk and board-level decisions underscore the importance of a stewardship lens.

The Fed’s cautious stance underscores the uncertainty facing markets. Bitcoin’s muted response reflects investors’ hesitation to commit until policy direction becomes clearer. For portfolios, this environment highlights the role of diversification and shows how macroeconomic shifts continue to influence digital assets alongside traditional investments.

While the last 12 months were profoundly shaped by the incoming Trump administration’s DOGE program, tariffs, immigration and foreign policy, what hasn't changed over the last year is that the bond market still represents good value despite policy initiatives that cloud the outlook: “We think the Fed is poised to ease, given weak employment reports,” Pierson said.

We hope you enjoy the latest newsletter from Harold Evensky.

When I first wrote to you about quantum computing in October 2024, I called it the “next big thing.” Many readers agreed that the potential of quantum computing was exciting but felt it could be a decade or more away from commercial viability.

The Federal Reserve’s recent rate cut of 25 basis points didn’t come as a surprise to the majority of the capital markets.

VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the VictoryShares Small Cap Free Cash Flow ETF (SFLO) on this week’s “ETF of the Week” podcast with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.”

Join the thought leaders at WisdomTree for an educational webcast exploring why what worked yesterday might not work going forward and how you can best prepare for today’s environment.

In an interesting but problematic new book, After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People, two economists, Dean Spears and Michael Geruso, warn that the switch to a population implosion, currently underway, could have catastrophic consequences for human well-being and even survival.

One of the most critical resources in 2025 is compute power. Chips and the data centers that house them have become the 21st-century equivalent of refineries and power plants, and governments are increasingly treating them as such.

In this article, a behavioral approach is taken to determine if there is high confidence in a company’s cash flow estimates. Each of the behavioral indicators employs a “put your money where your mouth is” measure that provides a reward if correct and a penalty if wrong.

The U.S. population of 340 million people is only 4% of the world, yet its $62 trillion stock market is about half of the world’s total for equities. The U.S. is the tail that is wagging the world’s economic dog. Global economics are dynamic, so the current situation will change even though it may feel like the U.S. is invincible. It’s not.

China continues to struggle with deflation. Producer prices have been falling for more than two years, and consumer prices have been essentially flat over that time.

After decades of increasing global integration, signs of geopolitical and economic fracturing are becoming more visible.

To understand where the market might go, you need to weigh both the bull case and bear case in light of what is actually priced and what risks remain unacknowledged. The data support the bull momentum case, but many components are already baked into current prices.

Money managers and strategists are betting that the Federal Reserve’s shift back to cutting interest rates will pour fuel on the biggest emerging-market bond rally in years.

A $15 trillion rally in US stocks from April lows took a breather at the start of a week that will bring a handful of Federal Reserve speakers and a key inflation measure.

A record-busting stock market has done little for the prospects of most middle- and working-class Americans, who are falling behind as the labor market stalls and prices rise for the essentials. The way out of the hiring rut is significantly lower borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, but these have the potential to stoke painful inflation once again.

At BlackRock Inc., PGIM and other Wall Street firms, bond-fund managers are sticking to trades that will likely pay off even if the Federal Reserve’s path is again knocked off course by surprising turns in the economy.

Gold powered to a record in the week’s opening session after flows into exchange-traded funds hit a three-year high, with investors betting that the Federal Reserve’s rate-cutting cycle has further to run. Silver also rose, with year-to-date gains topping 50%.

I am growing more and more convinced that we simply can’t rely on historical precedents anymore. Economics is about human decisions, and humans, at least in a broad sense, seem to be making decisions differently than they did before the pandemic. I think we don’t fully understand how much has changed—for employment, inflation, consumer behavior, and more.

Senior Investment Strategist and Head of Canadian Strategy, BeiChen Lin, unpacked the latest rate decisions from major central banks. He also assessed the health of the U.S. housing market and potential opportunities in listed real estate.

From the lack of conviction in the previous meetings to last week’s “risk management cut,” Federal Reserve (Fed) officials continue to walk a very fine line, hoping for the effects of tariffs to be transitory.

Growth and income funds have a dual mandate to target both capital appreciation and current income, typically generated through dividends or interest payments.

ClearBridge Investments believes accelerating policy-driven investment and AI-driven data center growth are unlocking a multi-decade growth opportunity for listed utilities globally.

As regional misalignments risk significant performance deviations amid trade uncertainty, let’s look at how overlay management can potentially help to guide global equity portfolios.

Investors must know how to navigate the current fixed-income environment in which the Fed is easing monetary policy, and how best to maximize cash as opposed to letting it sit idly by on the sidelines.

The Federal Reserve’s September meeting may be remembered less for the modest quarter-point cut it delivered and more for what it revealed about the state of the institution itself.

The US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) recent interest-rate cut is a shift in monetary policy that could signal a change in how retirement plan sponsors view capital preservation strategies.

The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) cut interest rates by 0.25% today in a decision widely expected by investors. More notably, the central bank’s forecasts reveal a committee starkly divided on the path forward for rates.

For years, private credit firms have focused on financing private equity buyouts or closely held companies that had limited access to capital. Now, they are zeroing in on their next frontier: Large public companies that want to diversify their funding mix.

Vanguard continues to bolster its active ETF lineup with a new, high yield fund — the Vanguard High-Yield Active ETF (VGHY). It’s the first high yield active ETF from Vanguard, bringing their current active ETF roster to nine funds.

Hearts, Minds & Wallets: The Thin Book That Closes Gigantic Deals, a profound new book from Jennifer Morgan, presents itself as a practical guide for professionals to communicate more effectively. As it says on the tin, it is a thin book that provides effective ideas and methodologies for closing deals. However, its true value transcends that because it is about so much more.

The Federal Reserve resumed its rate-cutting cycle at the September meeting, lowering its policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to a range of 4%–4.25%, after being on hold since its previous cut in December. The Fed also signaled a less restrictive stance to come amid mounting labor m

Labor concerns and persistent inflation have the Fed penciling in up to two additional cuts by the end of 2025.

Something unusual is happening in shareholder activism. The grandmaster of the craft, Elliott Investment Management, has set out a strategy to push shares in US consumer icon PepsiCo Inc. up 50%.

Advisors and investors aren’t the only ones looking to pick up exposure to bitcoin these days. Even the most old-school and traditional firms on the market are starting to consider building exposure to the cryptocurrency.

The median household is the statistical center of the Middle Class. Let's take a closer look at the Census Bureau's latest annual household income data with a focus on middle class income. In this update, we'll focus on the growing gap between the median (middle) and mean (average) household incomes across the complete time frame of the Census Bureau's annual reporting from 1867 to 2024.

A call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is underway, in a discussion that promises to determine the fate of TikTok — and potentially ease trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.

Talking to the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently, Altman, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Open AI, was only half-joking when he said he hadn’t “had a good night’s sleep since ChatGPT launched” in November 2022.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission cleared the way for the first exchange-traded fund bundling a basket of cryptocurrencies, marking a breakthrough for the industry after a swath of approvals largely limited to Bitcoin and Ether.

The Fed lowered rates by a quarter of a percentage point (0.25%) at its September meeting, citing increased risks to employment; Powell emphasized ongoing inflation and a divided Committee, with future moves dependent on incoming data.

What is the relationship between education and household income? The Census Bureau’s 2024 annual survey data provides valuable insights into this question. The median household income for individuals aged 25 and older was $85,580, but how does this figure vary based on educational attainment?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) solidifies the current tax rate schedule, introduces new tax changes for individuals and businesses, and offers opportunities tax-smart strategies. Our Bill Cass shares some planning considerations for 2025 and beyond.

Target date funds represent the investment industry's best thinking about how people should invest for retirement.

Blended finance has the potential to transform overlooked markets into investable opportunities.

The Federal Reserve cut interest rates today by 25 basis points (bps), following months of speculation about inflation, politics, and economic data.

The Federal Reserve cut rates by 0.25% today, citing a rising risk to the employment side of their dual mandate. While that was no surprise, there were many questions on where the Fed would go from here, and what it would take to accelerate or slow the pace of policy adjustment.