The artificial intelligence trade that has driven the S&P 500 Index to one record after another over the past few years is transforming traditionally sleepy utilities stocks into booming growth plays. Since the end of 2023, the utilities sector is up 44%, making it the third best-performing group in the S&P 500.
Last week’s scheduled release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for September was postponed due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has disrupted the operations of key agencies like the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
As the market concerns itself with a potential artificial intelligence (AI) bubble, there is a clearer and more practical approach that can be taken by investing in companies that could potentially benefit as AI technology progresses.
Since the shutdown began, air traffic controllers and TSA agents have been working without pay. Many are calling in sick, leading to longer lines and more flight disruptions.
Investors looking to profit from a “Goldilocks” environment where US stocks rally but Treasury market losses are contained should short the dollar, according to a new study published by Morgan Stanley.
Head of U.S. Fixed Income Greg Wilensky and Portfolio Manager Jeremiah Buckley discuss how balanced strategies can help investors stay true to their long-term objectives by providing a less volatile option to an all-equity portfolio.
So while there is a lot of focus on drug prices, measures taken to date are unlikely to make a meaningful impact on costs paid by the U.S. and its citizens. More fundamental reform would likely take an act of Congress, which would be hotly contested by lobbyists. There is no end in sight for debate on this front.
The 10-year Treasury briefly tested 4% and slipped just below, exactly what you’d expect when credit jitters boost demand for safe collateral. Real yields eased as well, consistent with a modest risk-off bid. Treasuries remain the cleanest hedge when credit fears pop, and that relationship asserted itself again last week.
While many investors entered 2025 heavily exposed to tech already, that hasn’t stopped markets from identifying other opportunities created by the need for AI computing power, like data centers.
A relentless surge in the price of gold is delivering windfalls across emerging markets, boosting investor confidence in countries that mine and buy the metal.
Stock markets are at all-time highs, public companies are shutting down their operations to buy bitcoin, consumers can bet in real time on almost anything they can imagine, “meme stocks” are back in full force, even the US government is buying stocks.
Despite short-term bearish sentiment, the case for Bitcoin remains underpinned by persistent macro weakness, potential Fed easing, and renewed distrust in traditional financial systems.
As we recently argued, investors don’t need to worry about the federal government shutdown showdown causing a recession. Before the current shutdown, the federal government had been shut for eighty days in the prior thirty years, with none of those days during a recession.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s head of research, Todd Rosenbluth, discussed the T. Rowe Price QM U.S. Bond ETF (TAGG) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF.
For most investors, energy security probably tends to be an afterthought until an event drives a jump in prices at the pump, as seen with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, energy security is about much more than geopolitics, especially as demand for electricity is poised for growth.
Buybacks raise important questions. Foremost amongst them are whether, and how much, buybacks push up stock prices, and whether they create other distortions relevant to investors and public finances. This article explores these questions by drawing on economic theory and broadly held views of real-world investor behavior.
Active fixed income ETFs can provide the refresh many investors want as the year draws to an end in an uncertain rate market.
Seldom has the middling been the cause of so much relief. Six months after the White House unveiled steep tariffs, the global economy has held up well — mainly by outperforming some doleful projections. There's been no recession. Forecasts have even been revised up a touch.
Apple Inc. shares hit their first record of 2025 on Monday after Loop Capital upgraded the stock to buy from hold, becoming the latest firm to cite positive iPhone demand trends.
All it took was a classic bout of haven buying to wake up a slumbering Treasuries market and drive benchmark yields to the lowest in months.
Emerging markets rose, with the stock benchmark advancing to the highest level in more than four years, as signals of easing US-China trade tensions supported appetite for riskier assets.
Prior to his most recent role, Marsh held several leadership positions including as head of the EMEA financing group, global co-head of credit finance and global co-head of the alternative capital solutions unit. He became a partner at Goldman in 2014 after joining the bank in 2006.
Pictet Asset Management just added three funds to a 2025 that’s seen a record number of actively managed ETF launches: the Pictet AI Enhanced International Equity ETF (PQNT), Pictet Cleaner Planet ETF (PCLN), and Pictet AI & Automation ETF (PBOT).
I’m a big believer in simplicity for most things, and that includes investing. When constructing a portfolio, simplicity is what I aim for. In this piece, I offer a brief summary of how I analyze the holdings and make recommendations on what to keep and what to get out of when a client asks me to review and improve their investments.
Connecting the dots, we found that a nation's court system and level of justice have the most significant impact on its Freedom Index, and therefore, by extension, on the wealth and happiness of its citizens. Aristotle connected these ideas over 2000 years ago when he opined, “A just life is inherently a happy one.”
Every market cycle eventually changes investor psychology to believe risk has been conquered.
Debt-driven growth definitely feels good. We all enjoy it immensely as long as it lasts. Then the lights go out and the party’s over. Yes, it starts again, but not until we all stumble around in the dark for a while.
In another sign that we are entering an era of even looser monetary policy, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell hinted that balance sheet reduction is about to come to an end.
There is little question that the key economic storyline of Q3 was the fact that new job creation was not anywhere near as solid as the markets and, perhaps more importantly, the Fed believed.
Monetary and fiscal policy are now decisively stimulative to the economy thanks to interest rate cuts and the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. This should provide a tailwind to investments.
The third quarter demonstrated the market’s ability to focus on powerful, long-term themes like technological productivity and monetary policy, even amidst significant short-term political noise. While large technology companies were once again a driver of headline returns, the positive performance across nearly all global asset classes rewarded a diversified approach.
The stock and bond markets are taking the government shutdown—and lack of data releases—in stride, but how long the calm might last is an open question.
In a week marked by renewed S&P 500 volatility stemming from reignited tariff talks and the ongoing challenge of a government shutdown that continues to delay crucial government reports, investors and analysts have increasingly turned to secondary economic indicators for a timely view of the U.S. economy.
Wall Street has finally capitulated to gold’s record-breaking run.
In Game 1 of the 2025 National League Championship Series, the Dodgers looked ready to break the game open. Bases loaded, one out, Max Muncy at the plate.
Americans place a premium on elite and exclusive institutions. Many of us want to get into top-tier universities, pledge storied fraternities and, upon graduation, attain membership at Soho House.
The world’s metal traders are enjoying their most profitable ever year, after a series of supply upheavals propelled prices toward record highs and drove huge shifts in metal moving across the globe.
Being a millionaire isn’t what it used to be. This isn’t a lament, it’s a fact: As Bloomberg News reported last week, almost one-fifth of US households have a net worth of more than $1 million. Fully one-third of them have gained that status since 2017.
After a week-long rout that erased hundreds of billions in digital-asset value, Bitcoin has again failed to live up to its billing as a safe harbor asset.
Man Group Plc, the world’s largest publicly traded hedge fund, saw its assets soar to a record in the three months through September, as clients poured more money into long-only products and performance improved.
If an investor has ever asked “Can you help me pay less in taxes?” then you’re not alone.
As the bond market expects more rate cuts to come after September’s drop of 25 basis points, investors may want to consider intermediate bonds as a way to maximize income.
Rare earth elements have become the latest flashpoint in the collision between geopolitics and markets.
As funded status rises, the idea of plan hibernation may become more attractive, enabling strategic use of pension surplus.
As the calendar has now turned squarely into Q4, the sweepstakes for who will be nominated as next Chair of the Federal Reserve will no doubt increase.
With Congress unable to reach an agreement on funding the government, a government shutdown began when the new fiscal year started on October 1.
According to Wall Street Horizon’s proprietary data, Q3 2025 marked a record in the number of new U.S. ETF launches. The tally (above 200) brought the trailing four-quarter sum to more than 800. Investors have never had more choice to tweak their strategies, aim for higher income yields, or even bet on single stocks in new, creative ways.
The U.S. economy shows moderate growth and rising inflation, with manufacturing lagging and services expanding. Recession fears have faded; policy uncertainty and deficits remain concerns. AI drives market highs, gold surges, and investment focuses on healthcare, materials, and gold.
One of the most interesting changes was Vietnam’s upgrade from frontier to emerging market. This will affect all FTSE indexes as of September 2026, likely with a phased implementation.
In 1967, a helicopter from United States Steel Corp. carrying a team of geologists made an accidental discovery after landing in a remote corner of the Amazon rainforest: a giant iron-ore deposit that would become Carajás, one of the world’s richest mineral regions.
