It’s exciting times in the ETF industry. For example, we might be headed for a photo finish in the ETF leader board. As of December 15, two ETFs stood above the rest.
The use of “factors,” or broad and persistent drivers of investment returns, has grown rapidly in equity markets, but with less adoption in fixed income.
The first actively managed exchange traded funds came to market in 2008. But 2023 may be remembered as the year when the asset class matured, paving the way for broader long-term adoption.
The cornerstone of diversification is the allocation of investments to counterbalance losses and dampen volatility. But what happens when traditional assets, like stocks and bonds, move in lockstep as they are now?
In the same way that a swimmer can make the biggest splash by jumping off of a higher diving board, so too fixed income asset returns can appear prospectively most attractive after a prolonged back up in rates.
High yield fixed income has always been considered a riskier investment relative to other bonds. But strong corporate fundamentals are making this asset class far less risky these days. And that makes so-called junk bonds currently a bit of a misnomer.
Over the last few months, we have highlighted that the Fed should be done with its tightening cycle based on real-time, high-frequency data that suggested that economic growth and inflation were cooling.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, Co-Founder of FAST Graphs, a.k.a. Mr. Valuation will analyze the healthcare sector stocks and discuss the value of different companies within it.
What is the “wealth effect,” and why is it important? It is a great question and reminded me of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Colosseum.“
Private assets and alternative investments are usually illiquid in nature but can help an investor meet their long-term objectives in a more efficient manner.
What was the biggest story in ETFs in 2023 for you? What has the potential to have a lasting impact on the industry? Or is there something you think was a flash in the pan?
There are many risks for 2024 including those that are an ever-present part of investing and not unique to the outlook for any particular year. We've highlighted our top five.
The 60/40 portfolio composed of stocks and bonds, respectively, has somewhat fallen to the wayside in the past decade. But with optimism flooding the bond markets for 2024, it could make a comeback.
For multi-asset income investors, adapting portfolios for equity defense, credit potential and duration exposure should be on the docket for 2024.
Markets cheered a “dovish” December Federal Reserve meeting, seen as an early gift to investors. But has the battle against inflation been won? Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai weighs in.
Earlier this year, many industry observers and investors were expecting an imminent slowdown with markets. But with rates coming back down and the risk outlook improving, the outlook on fixed income has improved.
November’s inflation numbers delivered good news for the Federal Reserve (Fed) even though the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was higher than what markets were expecting, with shelter costs surprising to the upside.
Although cash donations are appreciated, donating securities may be more impactful for both the charity and the donor.
When we put together economic and market outlooks, we typically focus on the near term—the next month, the next quarter, or the next year.
In October, the markets were down 10% from the July high, bond yields were touching 5%, and talk of a coming recession was rampant. What happened?
Starting portfolio yields may be a better guide to optimal spending than knowledge of future market returns.
It’s worth noting that despite the recent market advance, our own investment discipline, and even Treasury bills, have outpaced the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 during this period, with less volatility.
This year proved a difficult one for bonds as the Federal Reserve aggressively hiked rates for much of the year. With the rate narrative changing moving into 2024, investors moved back into bonds in a big way beginning in October, including municipal bonds.
The last three years have seen extraordinary market turbulence and ever-changing market narratives – from COVID-19 to inflation, rising interest rates to geopolitical instability.
If the last year or two have taught investors anything, it’s that alts can play a big role in portfolios. As recently as 2022, bonds struggled amid significantly low interest rates, with their role as a contrast to stocks weakened.
There's more to an overlay program than just cash equitization and systematic rebalancing. The flexibility of the program allows for several other exposure management strategies.
Steve Brown, Chief Investment Officer, Total Return and Macro Strategies, shares insights on Fed policy and our house view on the possible pace and size of rate cuts going forward.
If you really want to reduce the federal debt, you don’t have to convince Congress of anything. You can just write a check. The Treasury Department gladly accepts gifts from anyone so inclined.
If today were the last day of 2023, Bitcoin would have returned almost 155%, marking the best year since 2020, when it rose a phenomenal 305%.
Mutual Series sees an increasing number of investment opportunities in real assets.
While inflation isn’t yet at the 2% range that the Federal Reserve has been targeting, it’s getting there. At least, it’s getting close enough for it to ease up on the gas on raising interest rates. In fact, the Fed could pump the brakes next year.
The market anticipates a swift shift in the Fed cycle.
With stocks racing to record highs, diminishing expectations of a recession, and hopes that the Federal Reserve could potentially reduce interest rates multiple times next year, risk appetite is being reborn.
China stocks have been a source of frustration for investors this year. But there are expectations that situation will improve in 2024. The key is selectivity. That means market participants shouldn’t wager on uniformly stellar returns by China equities next year.
The ECB will pivot in 2024, but probably not as early or swiftly as markets predict.
John Baldi, Portfolio Manager at ClearBridge Investments, examines the evolving US equity income landscape and shares his strategies for generating income and growth, while also aiming to manage risk in uncertain economic and market conditions.
It’s been the year of active equity ETFs, the year of covered call ETFs, and a year when growth and quality has mattered most in the equity market. All of this is now clear from the year-to-date net inflows and fund performance records.
While the ECB is unlikely to raise rates further, we remain skeptical that it will deliver rate cuts as early as the market expects.
Anne Walsh, Chief Investment Officer for Guggenheim Partners Investment Management, joins CNBC to discuss Federal Reserve policy and its effect on credit markets heading into 2024.
With 2023 drawing to a close, the time has come once again to take a longer look at what next year might bring.
With the lagging effect of elevated interest rates potentially cooling the appetite of the economic growth engine that is the U.S. consumer, Global Head of Multi-Asset Adam Hetts at Janus Henderson Investors explains why he believes investors should take a defensive stance by prioritizing quality companies and cross-asset diversification.
A tentative timeline toward rate cuts in 2024 was revealed in the updated Summary of Economic Projections.
The decision to hold the federal funds rate steady was in line with expectations, but the accompanying statement and projections indicate a shift toward easing in 2024.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, Co-Founder of FAST Graphs, a.k.a. Mr. Valuation will take a look at Utility Stocks in the Utility Sector. Chuck will discuss the characteristics of companies in this sector and what to expect from them.
With the final business of 2023 being wrapped up, the financial services community is starting to look forward to 2024. The first big event of the new year will be the Exchange 2024 conference.
Macroeconomic uncertainty remains elevated. We believe a recession in 2024 is more likely than not. Non-profit hospital systems have faced significant operational pressures, and may continue to experience challenges in the near-term.
In the latest episode of our Alternative Allocations podcast, Franklin Templeton Institute’s Tony Davidow discusses asset allocation and portfolio construction with Aaron Filbeck, Managing Director of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association.
Contrary to many Western analysts’ expectations, the shift from a unipolar to a multipolar world economy will not lead to a China-led alternative order but to global instability. Amid deepening economic fragmentation, leaders must forestall a rapid descent into chaos by strengthening the existing multilateral architecture.
Throughout most of the fourth quarter of 2023, physical gold has performed the best it has all year. According to Kitco in the last thirty days, the precious metal has seen its price increase by nearly $43.
The VettaFi Market Outlook Symposium brought together industry thought leaders and experts to help investors position for 2024.
