Municipals posted positive performance and outperformed comparable Treasuries in February. We expect supply-and-demand dynamics to turn less supportive in the coming months. After patience to start the year, we would view any material backup as an opportunity to buy.
Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz famously asserted that diversification is the only free lunch in investing. His insight was simple yet profound: by diversifying across assets, investors can achieve higher returns without necessarily increasing risk.
Trading volumes for spot bitcoin ETFs have been the talk of the industry. David Mann, our Head of Global ETF Product and Capital Markets, offers his take on how best to evaluate the liquidity of these ETFs via his favorite NFL team.
Climate risks and regulations are on the rise.
With a quarter of 2024 in the books, investors have been closely watching key inflation and interest rate trends.
If 2023 was the year of the mega cap tech stock, 2024 may see SMIDcap stocks rise to new prominence. While key names in the “Magnificent Seven” remain big players, strategies that look for SMIDcap opportunities could appeal. Valuations are such that investors may want to consider new approaches.
Any sliver of news that feeds into the higher-for-longer interest rates narrative will be an unwelcome guest for tech bulls. For traders looking to feed off bearishness, it’s an opportunity to take advantage of inverse exchange traded funds (ETFs).
For decades, the tech sector wasn’t viewed as a prime source of equity income. But that’s changed for the better in recent years, and that positive evolution is ongoing.
The U.S. stock market has done so well that many investors may have forgotten about the rest of the world. Emerging markets, however, have a case to get back into investors’ portfolios.
With the end of the free money era, fundamentals and management quality matter more now than they did in the 2010s, underscoring the role of active ETFs.
Presidential elections and market corrections have a long history of companionship. Given the rampant rhetoric between the right and left, such is not surprising. Such is particularly the case over the last two Presidential elections, where polarizing candidates trumped policies.
For many investors, fixed income is intended to serve as the ballast of a portfolio. This means that it hopefully provides stability in turbulent times while providing consistent and known income, cash flow, and return of principal.
Franklin Templeton’s Tony Davidow discusses the challenges and opportunities within commercial real estate with Jeb Belford of Clarion Partners.
I love spending time outdoors—except when it’s 20 degrees outside. For me, winter in Boston is a time to focus on self-improvement, whether that’s working on fitness goals or taking a class, so I can enjoy the warm weather when it finally arrives.
Food prices are dragging down feelings about the economy.
Global elections may lean towards nationalist policies that could hinder trade in goods via tariffs, but also boost growth in domestic industries to counter inflationary effects.
The field of noncryptocurrency blockchain usage cases are expanding rapidly. That brings with it some potentially alluring investment implications.
On Sunday, the Invesco Nasdaq 100 ETF (QQQ) turned 25 years old. The more than $250 billion ETF is the fifth largest ETF behind three S&P 500 ETFs and one even broader U.S. equity ETF.
Tomorrow is the day! VettaFi’s Equity Symposium will offer critical thought leadership and guidance as the economy enters the second quarter.
William Thorndike’s book The Outsiders has been considered a classic for some time now. His story teaches readers about the business performance of Henry Singleton, Katherine Graham, John Malone and Daniel Burke.
January's U.S. Consumer Price Index report came in hotter than expected, leading to uncertainty in the markets regarding future interest rate cuts. Market expectations based on overnight index swaps have shifted, with projections now showing higher Federal Funds rates for 2024 and 2025. Despite volatility in both stock and bond markets, strong corporate earnings have helped stocks recover.
If you only look at the headlines about the monthly payroll report, the job market has looked surprisingly strong in recent months.
We monitor battery prices, elections and market attention on climate resilience for their impact on transition-related investment opportunities and risks. U.S. stocks were mostly flat last week, while 10-year U.S. Treasury yields fell further. Markets still expect the first Federal Reserve rate cut around mid-2024.
Sometimes, and February was one of those times, the information on the U.S. labor market doesn’t make sense. Many argue that government agencies are cooking the books.
In the latest release of the ClearBridge Recession Risk Dashboard, we’ve seen that a particular indicator upgrade was enough to change the overall dashboard—going from red recession to yellow caution—the first time that it’s been yellow since August of 2022.
Although markets expect both the Fed and the ECB to cut rates in June, macro developments could change that forecast.
The World Trade Organization is struggling to settle international tensions.
Taking advantage of yields now before the Federal Reserve loosens monetary policy has caused investors to scramble for bond exposure amid record issuance in 2024. Prospective investors looking to add core exposure to their portfolios can consider a pair of ETFs from Vanguard.
Among the larger ETF providers, few have product stability like Vanguard. When changes do occur, that’s worthy of celebration. Last week, some of Vanguard’s fixed income leadership was in New York to help close the stock market at the Nasdaq. VettaFi was honored to join them.
In a new piece, GMO’s long-term investment strategist Jeremy Grantham reexamines the ‘great paradox’ of the U.S. market.
Since the 1980s, we have celebrated and honored female trailblazers, who have shaped our history and advocated for change, during Women’s History Month.
Valuation metrics have little to do with what the market will do over the next few days or months. However, they are essential to future outcomes and shouldn’t be dismissed during the surge in bullish sentiment.
Q4 earnings revealed a tale of two markets in the U.S., with tech and internet players hitting home runs as other sectors and industries played small ball in comparison.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, Co-Founder of FAST Graphs, a.k.a. Mr. Valuation, and Professor Nathan Mauck, will go over the value stock AES Corp, which is leading the charge in clean renewal energy.
India's prospects are bright, but the country faces significant headwinds. Here's what to know as an investor.
Looking for a way to play potential 2024 rate cuts? Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently reiterated that the central bank plans to cut rates this year.
The potential for a soft landing continues to grow as the Fed indicates rate cuts later this year. A soft landing could cause further tightening in credit spreads, while a divergence from market expectations could lead to sudden widening.
In a move aimed at offering voters a pre-election giveaway, UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt cut national insurance contributions by 2 percentage points in his spring budget. He had previously cut national insurance contributions by 2 percentage points in the autumn budget less than four months ago.
While market pricing looks more reasonable, European Central Bank rate cuts, which could commence in June, are unlikely to be delivered as aggressively as the market expects in 2024.
Perhaps the biggest “known unknown” this year is the nature of the Fed’s rate cuts. Once again, this week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell shared that the Fed is looking to cut rates this year. The nature and amount of those cuts, however, will have a significant impact on markets.
The Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) is often viewed as the territory of high-octane technology and communication services stocks. While that’s true, investors should also consider the benchmark’s exposure to consumer equities.
The idea that “market expectations” tell us anything about the economy’s future is – or should be – in serious doubt. That’s not to say the market is wrong. It just changes its mind so often as to be useless. And most of the time, it changes its mind after the fact.
Super Tuesday was, if I may, super obvious. Former President Donald Trump clinched nearly every delegate that was up for grabs, forcing his Republican challenger, Nikki Haley, out of the race, which all but guarantees his nomination.
When the regional banking woes unfolded in March 2023, we argued that the challenges were not likely to be systemic. We continue to think that the challenges facing regional banks are likely contained, though near-term market volatility is always possible.
The move higher in the S&P 500 has been historic. In fact, the S&P 500 has climbed ~17% over the last four months and is on pace to rally 17 of the last 19 weeks.
Record issuance in bonds to start 2024 is now showing up in the sales numbers. In the case of corporate bonds, record issuance in January was met with record sales in February as the scramble to lock in yields is spurring bond buyers to act.
There are at least two certainties regarding Indian stocks. First, equities in that country have been the stars among major emerging markets for several years.
Learn how to engage and tailor approaches for women, addressing unique challenges and priorities in financial planning. Discover insights and resources to actively support female clients, seize opportunities, and shape the future of wealth management for women.
Recessions are part of the economic cycle. No one looks forward to a recession because of the pain it can impose on investors or worse, job security.
Issues like water scarcity are felt most intensely at the local level. That makes it incumbent on municipal bond issuers to lead the response.
