I was asked a pretty good question following an internal meeting late last week. The question started out by noting that we have been promoting going longer on the curve for a while now and then asking why we think longer-term rates will come down.

Term premiums have been on the rise, but should investors be concerned? Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute, explains what term premiums are, and why they are worth paying attention to.

The communications sector has been one of the best-performing sectors of the year, benefiting from both the tech boost and in certain areas, from consumer spending on services versus goods.

ESG isn’t a new concept. In recent years, it’s gained more attention and assets thanks partly to the proliferation of related ETFs.

The latest inflation report raises the odds of further Federal Reserve action.

The debate between active and passive management has been going on for years. And while active management has faced headwinds over the past decade or so, it’s starting to reclaim dominance over passive.

Drugmakers don’t have to dominate a healthcare portfolio. Equity investors should cast a wide net across the sector to find innovation and growth.

With next week’s 3Q GDP report shaping up to be a blockbuster number (the Atlanta Fed GDPNow is tracking a +5.4% growth rate), it is worthwhile to reiterate our thoughts on the economy and how we expect growth to unfold over the next year.

We have been looking at big historical/economic/political cycles for the past two months.

Active ETFs have gained in popularity in recent years. However, some pundits have prematurely taken out their shovels for some funds. Even as these products show signs of vitality.

The muni yield curve has been inverted before, but not for any meaningful length of time—until now. With yields on short-term muni bonds still significantly higher than those on intermediate-term munis, what’s an investor to do?

While surface-level economic data appear resilient, details below the surface are mixed.

Russell Investments’ 2023 Manager ESG Survey, now in its ninth year, continues to offer valuable insights into the evolving landscape of ESG practices within the investment management industry.

Homeowners, drivers and other individuals in the marketplace for insurance, have a host of factors to consider to make sure they are appropriately covered in the event of a death, accident, or other untimely event, advisors shared in interviews with VettaFi.

As investors face continued macroeconomic and market uncertainty, evolving the 60/40 portfolio of stocks and bonds to include alternative investments may help build portfolio resiliency.

The long history of business cycles illustrates that rising inflation precedes recessions. Inflation accelerations don’t just happen, they are caused.

Steve Brown, Chief Investment Officer for Total Return and Macro Strategies, discusses the portfolio strategy implications of the evolving geopolitical, economic, and policy landscape.

The Federal Reserve (the Fed) has made some relatively painless progress thus far in its inflation fight. Some other prominent economists have walked back their forecast for a near-term recession.

When it comes to processing power for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, speed is essential, but chipmaker Nvidia also wants to be first in terms of manufacturing.

It may not be new, but one of the best modern-day examples of disruptive technology is the smartphone. It is a technology that has radically disrupted human behavior and changed how we live our daily lives.

The U.S. economy’s remarkable resilience is complicating the lives of investors and the Federal Reserve. Despite war-disrupted commodity markets and one of the most aggressive monetary tightening phases in modern history, economic activity has remained strong.

A multi-asset approach to sustainable investing brings a broad and more balanced palette to paint with.

Higher long-term bond yields will allow the Fed to do less on short rates.

The third largest ETF recently reached the age of 13. Yes, the Vanguard 500 ETF (VOO) is now Taylor Swift’s lucky number. (Am I one of the first people to use Ms. Swift and Vanguard ETFs in the same sentence?)

Are markets actually set for a recession? That was the narrative that dominated entering 2023, but with just several weeks left, it hasn’t materialized.

There is once again growing interest in the world of the metaverse as technological advancements and innovative strategies in different sectors have continued to show progress.

Some investors are considering making tactical tilts to their fixed income portfolios to take advantage of the current high-yield environment.

We hear and read daily analysis on how inflation is coming down and that the Federal Reserve (Fed) has beaten inflation. This is probably very close to the truth from an economics point of view.

Jeff and Ron Muhlenkamp give an update on the relevant economic indicators impacting investments. They also provide their thoughts on inflation, the possibility of a recession, and a list of things “broken” by the Fed due to it raising interest rates.

Japanese profits have benefited from the prolonged deleveraging of Japan Inc. The reduction in debt coupled with exceptionally low interest rates has allowed cash flow to impact the bottom line.

There is a growing movement among investors to align their portfolio to their values or belief systems. Advisors can use Direct Indexing products and Separately Managed Accounts to help their clients pursue faith- or values-based investing.

A recent surge in bankruptcies and defaults by high-yield issuers is unnerving some fixed income investors. Bond investors, particularly those seeking elevated levels of income, are rightfully jittery.

With lots of chatter in the United States around the potential for a soft landing, Jeff Schulze, Head of Economic and Market Strategy at ClearBridge Investments, shares his thoughts on the matter and the overall state of the US economy in our latest “Talking Markets” podcast.

Muni bond ETFs gathered $6.3 billion in the first nine months of 2023. However, a healthy $1.4 billion flowed in during September alone. According to Columbia Threadneedle, there is good reason to focus on the asset category.

Interest expense is a large and growing issue for both the economy and stock market, which reinforces why investors should stay up in quality amid interest-rate-driven headwinds.

Women are still underrepresented among economics majors and in a range of professions.

As the “soft landing” narrative grows, the risk of a “crisis” event in the economy increases. Will the Fed trigger another crisis event? While unknown, the risk seems likely as the Fed’s “higher for longer” narrative is compromised by lagging economic data.

To succeed, every advisor needs to grow. This growth must not be limited to the size of their practice either. Advisors need to grow their talents and their knowledge, and must always be developing their skill set.

Municipal bonds sold off considerably in September alongside vastly rising interest rates.

A run of shrinking quarterly profits may finally end soon, but it's probably not time to break out the champagne just yet.

In a year in which active strategies have done so well via allocator interest, as well as with their own returns, an active ETF could make a very good addition.

Value-conscious, historically-informed, full-cycle investors place a great deal of emphasis on the relationship between the price an investor pays today and the cash flows they can expect to receive in the future. The reason is simple.

The High Yield Bond category is up 5.9% through September, ranking it among the best performers in the fixed income space. Payden & Rygel’s Jordan Lopez and Nick Burns outline three factors contributing to the market’s strength.

With artificial intelligence, systematic investing is entering a new era of disciplined decision-making. Yet, firms face many snags. Rigorous implementation requires collaboration among skillful investment, technology, and quantitative capabilities.

At the end of October we will get our first look at real GDP growth for the third quarter and it looks like it was very strong.

Psychology in markets is always fascinating. In February 2009, I wrote “8 Reasons For A Bull Market.” While in hindsight, it is easy to see that was the right call, overall, psychology was highly negative at the time.

Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Research Analysts Ashley Allen and Bryant Dieffenbacher discuss the food, water and energy sectors and what their convergence means for investors.

A money market fund is a type of mutual fund that invests in debt securities, specifically those characterized by short maturities and minimal credit risk. A money market fund generates income with little to no capital appreciation, making it a low-risk, low-return investment.

Our September Cyclical Forum was the first to be held in London, where the economic situation today reflects what’s happening around the world.

With oil prices trending higher, among other factors, market participants are bracing for a renewed round of elevated inflation. That could stoke renewed interest in traditional inflation-fighting asset classes, but investors may not want to overlook the ability of Bitcoin to act as inflation protection.