Today’s U.S. markets are highly concentrated, with nearly 70% of the economic profit in the S&P 500 Index generated by the top 10 companies.

If you listen to tech industry leaders, business-sector forecasters, and much of the media, you may believe that recent advances in generative AI will soon bring extraordinary productivity benefits, revolutionizing life as we know it. Yet neither economic theory nor the data support such exuberant forecasts.

The regulatory outlook is a question of direction more than extent.

The U.S. election outcome is anyone’s guess, so let’s try to game out the winners and losers from the candidates’ major policy proposals.

The robotics space has underperformed broader tech recently, leading to investment opportunities as the market underappreciates major tailwinds.

Fixed income experts at Natixis Investment Managers recently weighed in with outlooks on rate cuts and how to approach bonds.

With third quarter GDP being reported next Wednesday – less than a week before election day – the US is still not in recession.

Tighter fiscal policy in Europe and China may hinder the economic response to easing monetary policy, with a resulting shift in investors' focus.

Senior Investment Strategist Tracey Manzi notes that while the predictive power of the inverted yield curve has waned this cycle, investors shouldn't dismiss the warning signs entirely.

Global oil markets are working through many disruptions.

Recent events, particularly the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024, provide a clear example of why destruction does not create long-term economic prosperity. Despite the short-term boost in economic activity from rebuilding efforts, the broader economic implications are far more detrimental.

The FOMC lowered the Fed Funds rate by 50 basis points at their September meeting. This was the first cut in over four years and the start of what is expected to be a multi-year easing cycle.

Thanks to a variety of structural advantages, including favorable demographic trends, we believe the U.S. remains the most attractive investment environment in the world.

The latest economic data reveals a resilient economy, led by strong retail sales and a surprising drop in jobless claims. Despite some weakness in manufacturing, industrial production, and housing, overall economic strength is reflected in the projected third-quarter real GDP growth, expected to come in at a robust 3%—largely driven by productivity gains. This productivity led rebound is very positive and this confirms that despite tighter monetary conditions, the real economy remains strong.

Explore how AI fuels nuclear investments, drives energy demand, and attracts tech giants to nuclear power.

Advisors recommend having a clear understanding of how giving will align your values – and also be the most tax efficient.

The cautiously optimistic American consumer braces for financial strain as inflation and debt delinquencies are expected to rise.

Markets fluctuate for numerous reasons, but investors often focus on just a few, like how a presidential election will impact the markets.

On the latest edition of Market Week in Review, Chief Investment Strategist for North America, Paul Eitelman, discussed the details surrounding China’s latest stimulus announcements. He also reviewed early U.S. third-quarter earnings results as well as the latest U.S. macroeconomic data.

From current data, it is clear there are no signs the U.S. economy is currently facing challenges.

Energy policy decisions today will have long-lasting implications.

GMO has posted a new 7-Year Asset Class Forecast.

The S&P 500 is on track to deliver its second consecutive year of 20+% returns – a milestone it has not achieved since 1998. It is also on pace to deliver its strongest performance leading into an election year since 1932.

Agency bonds issued by government-sponsored enterprises can offer slightly higher yields than U.S. Treasury bonds, without requiring bondholders to take on too much additional risk.

Even without new staff projections, the European Central Bank makes policy less restrictive and lowers its relevant rate to 3.25%.

With the backdrop of U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) headlines in addition to the shifting narratives of the election season, we have been focusing on what we are calling the Great Normalization as overall economic trends in the U.S. are getting back to normal.

With the presidential election less than a month away, and the two candidates running head-to-head in the polls, there is certainly a lot of uncertainty in the markets.

While greed is necessary to build wealth, excessive greed often has far more terrible consequences when investing.

Housing prices matter to everyone, even if you aren’t trying to buy, sell, or rent a home. They are the key to inflation, which drives Fed policy and interest rates, which drive financial markets. We’re all part of this, like it or not. Today we’ll review what is happening.

If you’ve been paying attention to the markets, especially in recent months, you’ve likely noticed something interesting happening with nuclear energy stocks.

The tendency to blindly follow these rules has led investors towards prematurely de-risking and over-estimating the likelihood of recession.

Surviving a disaster involves securing safety, accessing help from agencies, and documenting damages for insurance claims. Our Bill Cass highlights numerous resources for financial relief, including accessing emergency funds, insurance and tax considerations.

Jeff and Ron Muhlenkamp discuss economic data and its influence on the federal funds target range. They also talk about the policy choices of the presidential candidates and the affect they may have on the economy and our investors’ wealth.

Markets changed character to broad-based optimism relating to the economy. The economic picture began to come into focus with inflation continuing to moderate as the economy maintains steady growth and employment. The result was a stark turnaround for economically integrated or interest rate sensitive assets, which resulted in a great quarter for diversified multi-asset portfolios. New Frontier sets a major milestone in Q4, marking 20 years of investing at the end of October.

If UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves tried to meet all the political demands that have been placed on her, her budget would likely result in disappointing growth and financial instability. Instead, the new government's first budget should be judged according to four longer-term criteria.

Economic data releases have surprised to the upside in recent weeks, but inflation does not remain a threat right now.

The Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX), which is half composed of tech stocks, including a slew of AI names, is usually more volatile in October.

Asia-Pacific economies will benefit from soft landings and easier monetary conditions.

Municipal bonds bucked the seasonal trend and posted strong performance in September.

The markets saw a fifth straight week of gains last week. The S&P 500 closed above 5,800 for the first time, the Dow hit a new record high, and the Nasdaq came within 2% of its all-time high.

Just 5% of board directors are under the age of 50. But research indicates that more age-diverse boards may possess unique business advantages.

While tariffs have been utilized heavily in the past, both their usage and rates have fallen considerably over the past half century as countries have engaged in different stages of trade negotiations.

The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for U.S. growth, employment, inflation and interest rates.

Fed easing cycles and lowered target interest rates impact various economic sectors, such as mortgages, consumer credit and cash investments.

Markets broadened as anticipated. After the strong rally, our investment models advise a reduction in risk-appetite.

One of most dangerous habits of a speculative crowd is the tendency to use unconditional averages and unconditional probabilities regardless of how extreme market conditions have become. This is like stepping into a house with two rooms, one with the temperature at 0 degrees and one at 140 degrees, and expecting a temperature of 70 either way.

We are excited to release our October 2024 Chart Pack, our visual quarterly designed to walk investors through what’s happening in markets.

The bar is raised for Q3. With a handful of earnings reports delivered from major banks, companies from other sectors begin now to report results to the street.

My father is 86 and the topic of financial markets and his investment accounts invariably comes up at every family gathering. Mainly, he talks about how my mother and he have lived from their retirement accounts since they both retired more than 25 years ago.

A tariff is a tax assessed on imports. Historically, tariffs have been enacted to generate tax revenue or to protect domestic producers from competition in the form of cheaper foreign goods. In essence, tariffs artificially make domestically produced goods more competitive in the local market by making imports more expensive.