Active ETFs have had a big year so far in 2023 by several metrics. From institutional investor interest to advisors planning to up allocations, active strategies have grown in popularity. With their ability to invest nimbly and lean on managerial expertise, that appeal makes some sense.

There is a plethora of AI-related investment opportunities, with the winners and losers yet to be determined.

VettaFi’s Artificial Intelligence Symposium is happening today. Investors and advisors seeking to better understand this complicated and exciting new technology will have the opportunity to hear from experts and thought leaders. Additionally, they can do so for free while earning CE credits. Now is the time to expand your understanding of this critical topic.

Disrupted global trade is weighing on Germany's performance.

At the heart of our assessment of the stock market is our Capitalized Profits Model.

In the first installment of our three-part series on global supply chains, Portfolio Managers Peeyush Mittal and Inbok Song discuss why and where trading networks and manufacturing hubs are changing and how it’s impacting the international investment landscape.

China's economy may have spillover effects on global economic and earnings growth, but it's unlikely to lead to global financial contagion and send stock markets materially lower.

In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s annual gathering in Jackson Hole, Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute, conveys one clear message: interest rates aren’t coming down anytime soon.

Several key economic indicators are released every week offering valuable insights into the overall health of the U.S. economy. Policymakers and advisors closely monitor economic indicators to understand recession risk and the direction of interest rates because the data can ultimately impact business decisions and financial markets.

The United States Court of Appeals announced this morning it’s ruling in favor of the Grayscale petition to convert its flagship fund, GBTC, to a bitcoin ETF. In the intricate game of chess the SEC plays with bitcoin funds, it’s a “check” for Grayscale’s white knight strategy.

A few weeks ago, VettaFi announced an AI symposium at the end of the month. Our hope was to bring some of the leading experts in asset management to discuss how the future is fast approaching.

In a potentially positive trend for investors, the number of companies incorporating ESG metrics in their executive compensation plans has been growing.

Financial advisors have a unique job. To be competent, they must deeply understand some highly specialized topics centered around finance.

Holding expectations low will help the battle against high prices.

Taxable municipal bonds may be an attractive option for investors in lower tax brackets, but there are things investors should know before making a decision.

It’s hard to see your portfolio dip and not panic – especially as you near retirement. Coupled with record inflation, a dip might tempt you to sell your investments to drive cash flow.

Making an investment in physical gold and silver is easy. Insuring these new valuables stored at home is more difficult. It may be outright impossible in larger amounts.

As investors look for clues about what monetary central planners are thinking at Jackson Hole, the BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa – are holding a summit of their own in Johannesburg.

At its annual summit in Johannesburg this week, the bloc of five emerging countries—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—announced plans to expand for the first time since 2010.

Today we continue our study of the historical cycles suggesting a major crisis is in our near-term (5‒8 years) future. We don’t know the precise timing or nature of the crisis, but the patterns indicate one is coming and could be severe.

Is AI going to be a major part of our lives going forward? Is it worthy of being classified as a megatrend? What are the best ways to access it as an investment? What are investors overlooking about AI as an investment theme?

Many advisors are now providing customized wealth management services to their clients and their families, often across multiple generations.

Declining commercial real estate valuations will not likely lead to a wave of defaults among muni issuers, according to Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s municipal bond team.

In this video, Chuck Carnevale, Co-Founder of FAST Graphs will go over 13 Blue-Chip Consumer Staple Dividend Growth Stocks – a baker’s dozen – 13 of the highest quality blue-chip dividend growth stocks on the planet, all of them in the Consumer Staples Sector.

Watching coverage of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in South Africa this week made us wonder why the members of the BRICS decided to name the section, in which Vladimir Putin was addressing the conference by video conference, “BRICS BUSINESS FORUM,” in English, yes?

High interest rates begetting a recession was one reason many money managers were bullish on bonds after a bearish 2022. While the economy continues to run hot and a recession may not arrive, some suspect a bond bull market is still ahead.

For example, treasuries, investment grade bonds, corporate debt, and high yield to name a few. And in this case, like equities, they can be bought and sold on a stock exchange.

Over the last several years, we’ve heard plenty of talk about artificial intelligence. There’s even debate about whether AI will ever become sentient and decide to destroy humanity.

Advisors and investors typically allocate to index funds and exchange traded funds linked to well-known benchmarks, such as the S&P 500, in the name of diversification. After all, these funds are homes to hundreds of stocks and those sizable rosters imply some level of diversity.

It’s premature to call off a recession. Lower shelter costs will ease inflationary pressures. Treasury supply dynamics caught the market by surprise.

A one-time investment in Cummins of $10,000 in 2003 would have turned that $10,000 into $323,000 by August 21st. And more importantly, that $10,000 original investment would have generated $73,634 in income.

Longer-dated US Treasuries – those with maturities of 5 years or longer – continue to struggle. At best, coupon payments are keeping investors relatively flat.

Markets seem to be coming around to our Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai’s view that the Fed will have to keep interest rates higher for longer, but now runaway fiscal deficits pose further upside risk to yields in the long term, she warns.

If you’re interested in investing in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs) – or you already have some in your portfolio – you may be wondering what exactly the difference is between an active and a passive fund.

International stocks and the related exchange traded funds have accumulated bum reputations after lengthy spells of underperforming domestic equivalents.

The first six months of 2023 were full of surprises for investors, not the least of which was a Nasdaq surge of 32% — its best first half since 1983. The S&P 500 Index gained nearly 16% for the first half, powered by mega-cap stocks.

Workers are finding a fresh enthusiasm for organizing.

This weekly update tracks some of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share: bitcoin and ether. We’ve also included XRP, as it was one of the largest cryptocurrencies when this article began.

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) investing is taking the world by storm this year. With that, there are substantial, long-term investment implications.

Chuck Carnevale joins me today to share how to build a profitable dividend income portfolio as well as his secret to driving dividend income with the best dividend stocks 2023 which keep his passive income 2023 flowing into his dividend portfolio.

Interest rates are the penalty you pay for purchasing something today instead of postponing consumption until tomorrow. They are also the reward you receive for saving and engaging in delayed gratification.

As the demand for faster, smaller, and more efficient electronic devices grows, so does the need for advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques. Traditional methods have their limitations, and ASML’s mission revolves around transcending these boundaries.

Supply chains are realigning, to China's dismay.

Increasingly more advisors and investors are discovering the benefits of options strategies in their portfolios. There is great value in understanding and utilizing options strategies with the range of benefits they can provide portfolios, including protective puts.

In terms of manufacturing, value added, which is basically the value of the output minus the costs of the input, the U.S. produces almost twice as much as Japan, more than three times as much as Germany, and five times as much as India.

Year-to-date, the largest exchange traded fund dedicated to real estate investment trusts (REITs) is saddled with a small loss, while the S&P 500 is higher by about 15%.

In the current landscape, where bonds and stocks are experiencing positive correlation, it becomes even more important (if not critical) to incorporate additional diversification strategies to help mitigate portfolio risk and preserve portfolio balance.

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing war have prompted new and difficult questions for sovereign debt investors.

Since the beginning of 2022, the media has regularly warned a recession is coming.