Commentaries

Timely market commentaries from leading investment firms

Tax Planning Should be a Focus for All seasons

Tax filing season may be over for many, but tax planning is an important focus year-round. Consider post-tax season strategies including optimizing deductions or adjusting retirement contributions. Our Bill Cass shares some tax planning ideas to consider.

Turas Wealth Partners Joins Kestra Private Wealth Services To Further Focus on Client Experience

Kestra Private Wealth Services (Kestra PWS), a registered investment adviser subsidiary of Kestra Financial, Inc., today announced it has welcomed Turas Wealth Partners (Turas), a wealth management firm led by father-son duo John and Shea Marmion, to its platform.

Early Impacts of the Trade War

Theoretical forecasts and earnings announcements may provide initial insights as to the impact of current tariff proposals, although estimates may be imprecise.

Powell Downplays Progress, Risks Becoming Trump’s Scapegoat

Despite mounting evidence of disinflation and a weakening economy, Chair Powell’s tone remains too hawkish—and I believe that’s a mistake. The latest inflation readings came in soft, money supply growth continues to undershoot, and even jobless claims are inching higher.

Opportunities

Many investors are wondering what to think of the volatility and uncertainty that has been pulsing through financial markets over the past few weeks.

The Death Cross and Market Bottoms

In financial markets, few technical patterns generate as much attention and anxiety as the death cross.

Oh, Canada

To say that it has been a tumultuous year in Canada would be an understatement. The country’s business model, which relies heavily on commerce with the United States, has been put under severe stress by the American administration.

Gauging the Fear Factor: From Volatility Peaks to Equity Returns

Stock markets have been rattled by trade war tensions and economic uncertainty driven by US tariff policies. Yet history suggests that equities have usually performed well in the aftermath of peak market volatility.

Magnificent 7 Earnings Out this Week will Shed Light on Big Tech’s Tariff Concerns

With many of the big financial reports out of the way, the S&P 500 blended EPS growth rate for Q1 stands at 7.2%. Thus far only 12% of S&P 500 constituents have released results.

Risk-Off Fixed Income in Demand in April

It’s been another strong year for ETF demand. ETFs gathered approximately $350 billion of new money year-to-date through April 16.

Balancing Treasury Market Stability and Systemic Risk

A reintroduction of SLR relief to balance treasury market stability and systemic risk would likely produce several market effects.

The “Soft” Data Gets Softer

A divide has recently developed between soft and hard economic data. At a time when conditions are changing rapidly, understanding the difference between the two is terribly important.

Why Does Volatility Often Lead to Strong Emerging Equity Returns?

Emerging-market (EM) stocks might not seem an obvious choice for anxious investors during a trade war. But history suggests that past volatility peaks have created favorable moments to invest in EM stocks.

Agentic AI: The New Frontier of Intelligence That Acts

The hype cycle around artificial intelligence (AI) often moves faster than the capabilities it touts.

Hard Data Points to Soft Landing: But Confidence Wanes

Eitelman began by assessing the health of the U.S. economy through hard and soft data. He explained that hard data refers to measures of actual spending and economic activity, while soft data refers to how companies and consumers respond to surveys.