The US government shut its doors on October 1. Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on a spending bill, so non-essential portions of the government are closed until further notice.
This article breaks down the five main reasons financial advisors overwhelmingly prefer using crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than recommending direct purchases of Bitcoin, Ethereum, or other tokens.
For starters, much has been said about equity valuations, and stocks are definitely trading at elevated multiples. However, the forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of the S&P 500 has yet to reach dotcom era levels, and in fact remains below December 2020 levels because earnings were depressed coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. T
Higher yields earlier in the year opened a window for meaningful tax loss harvesting. Investors who acted captured valuable tax savings, while those who waited saw opportunities diminish as yields retraced lower through the end of the third quarter.
All of that data center activity requires huge new amounts of electricity, but with most renewables slowing down, nuclear energy stocks could be poised to benefit. That presents a notable opportunity in the nuclear energy ETF NUKZ.
October 8 marks World Financial Planning Day, a global celebration highlighting the power and purpose of financial planning.
The balance of risks to the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate (price stability and maximum employment) prompted the central bank to lower its policy rate in September in an effort to bolster the economy and employment.
The market is in a funny place. September was a strong month for financial markets, its typical negative seasonality notwithstanding.
In 2006, Andrew Fire and Craig Mello shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of RNA interference (RNAi), which they published in 1998. Since then, the potential of a technology capable of silencing disease-causing genes has been a very attractive proposition.
As a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the lifetime exclusion for gifts and estates will increase permanently to $15 million next year with annual inflation adjustments to follow.
Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.
Fixed Income Portfolio Managers Brent Olson and Tom Ross consider current credit spread levels and offer reasons why they could remain rangebound for some time.
Markets surged to record highs in 3Q 2025 as the Fed’s first rate cut reignited optimism, with AI-driven market growth and broader participation leading gains, but a cooling labor market and fiscal uncertainty set the tone for a more selective, year-end investment positioning in 4Q
Labor markets are not keeping pace with young adult populations.
American companies continue to buy back their shares at a record pace in 2025. This has not only padded balance sheets but it’s helped drive the stock market rally that’s persisted since the April 8 trough.
When bear market losses occur, headlines talk in percentages: “The market dropped 20 %.” Investors nod. A 20 % decline sounds manageable, historical, and expected.
In big news for the energy infrastructure space, Targa Resources Corp. (TRGP) has announced significant new investments in its Permian Basin operations. The announcement includes a new natural gas liquids (NGL) pipeline and incremental natural gas infrastructure.
Many investors have turned to MLPs over the years for their income, which makes the outlook for distributions a perennial focus for investors. With MLP yields currently elevated relative to long-term averages and a flattish near-term outlook for U.S. energy production, the distribution outlook is particularly topical.
Three things to watch this month from Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity: China's Golden Week, tariffs on India and the likelihood of a year-end market rally.
We believe corporate America will follow up an outstanding second quarter earnings season with another good one in the third quarter.
With equity markets reaching new heights, the market’s expectation that the US Federal Reserve will cut rates to head off a labor-market slowdown is itself creating a policy challenge for the central bank.
Emerging markets investing has had an overall positive year in 2025. Entering the year, with many U.S. investors underweight foreign equities, some market watchers anticipated big opportunities abroad.
With the global economy proving more resilient than expected, we upgrade equities to overweight.
No one, that we know of, is saying Artificial Intelligence (AI) isn’t an amazing new technology that will have an important impact on life, investing, and the economy.
Markets digested a quiet jobs Friday without the official payrolls report, but the signal from the other indicators was clear enough: the labor market is slowing at the margin but not falling off a cliff.
The office real estate sector is working through a difficult cycle.
Defined contribution (DC) plans form the backbone of retirement security for millions of Americans. And while stocks often steal the spotlight for their growth potential, bonds play a crucial role in managing risk, providing diversification, and delivering reliable income—especially as participants approach retirement.
Like AI stocks, precious metals look overbought; but unlike AI stocks, they’re structurally underinvested. As such, I believe they deserve another look.
It will depend on how long the budget stalemate drags out, but from a historical perspective, the impact of government shutdowns has been relatively short-lived and contained.
Electricity demand is on the rise globally thanks to electrification, adoption of electric vehicles, wider use of air conditioning, and the rise of AI-related data centers.
Over the past three years, the economic conversation has been a “promised recession.” If you read the headlines, tracked economist surveys, or even listened to Wall Street strategists, you would have assumed a downturn was imminent. And yet, here we are, late into 2025, and the U.S. economy is still standing.
Government shutdowns are not unprecedented. Although some volatility is possible, historically, there has been no clear relationship between U.S. government shutdowns and market returns.
In the absence of primary government indicators, policymakers and investors alike must turn to private sector releases to find clarity. These secondary reports paint a picture of a cooling labor market and an increasingly cautious consumer.
In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses how September, typically a month that exhibits seasonal market weakness, is showing surprising strength.
Within the emerging markets story in 2025 is a potentially even more intriguing subplot: the strong performance of Africa equities.
Vanguard announced the debut of a new low-cost, emerging markets (EM) exchange-traded fund (ETF) — the Vanguard Emerging Markets ex-China ETF (VEXC). EM assets have been garnering increased investor attention this year and could see additional interest with the prospect of more interest rate cuts to come.
From harvesting pollen for industrial use to commercially available drone delivery to osmotic power plants—Franklin Equity Group’s Matt Moberg highlights some of the most exciting innovations in the latest “Innovation Insights Quarterly.”
Powering intelligence: the molecules, metals, and markets behind AI.
With the third quarter (Q3) behind us, we decided to conduct a deep dive into the key factors that shaped Q3 performance. Below, we’ve highlighted what we believe to be 10 of the key takeaways.
The U.S. government bought shares of Intel and other companies and made a deal with Nvidia for some of its revenue. What does this mean for investors and for those firms?
Debt is a curse that can also be a blessing, depending on how the borrower uses it. Sadly, human nature seemingly ensures we often use debt unproductively—and not just as individuals. Governments have their own special way of using debt to buy benefits (and votes?) today that future generations will pay for.
The newest member of the Federal Reserve Board, Stephen Miran, recently outlined his reasons for wanting interest rates to come down by roughly 2 percentage points—far more than any other Fed member.
Physical artificial intelligence (AI), the convergence of robotics and AI, is here. With autonomous vehicles and industrial automation moving into mainstream adoption, Matt Cioppa from Franklin Equity Group explains why this could represent a generational opportunity for long-term investors.
As of midnight Tuesday, the U.S. government shut down, as lawmakers couldn’t reach an agreement on a short-term bill to continue funding government expenditures. Currently, none of the 12 appropriations bills have been passed.
Overfunded pension plans don't have to die—they can live on in a 401(k) plan.
How the shutdown may impact the Federal Reserve, the economy, stocks and bond yields.
Given the current market environment, should investors include China, the top economy in emerging markets (EM), or simply avoid it?
Locking in attractive bond yields can support long-term returns, especially as central banks cut interest rates and tariff effects pose risk to global economic growth and inflation.
Central banks are walking a tightrope, carefully fine-tuning their next moves as they face lingering inflation and subdued growth.
The government shutdown may spark some short-term volatility, but investors aren’t likely to bear the brunt of a red October.
