Search Results
Results 7,101–7,150
of 23,263 found.
Dan Fuss - The New Factor in the Bond Markets
by Robert Huebscher,
Dan Fuss' career in the bond market has spanned over 50 years. During that time, Fuss has spoken regularly at CFA luncheons. Last week in Boston, he began by warning that what he had to say would be markedly different from any of his previous talks.
The Return of the Comeback: Is 2015 the Year for International Stocks?
by Zachary Karabell of Envestnet,
For several years, many professional investors and advisers have been bullish about the prospects for investing outside the United States. Calls to overweight European stocks or global stocks have been typical each January for the past years, and this year is no different.
The Conference
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
Greetings from Orlando where the Raymond James 36th Annual Institutional Investors Conference is in full swing. At this year’s conference there will be more than 1,000 portfolio managers (PMs) and analysts, as well as more than 300 companies presenting. In a past life I used to attend many of Wall Street’s institutional investors conferences, but have come to like ours the best.
Why Networking Makes You Feel Dirty - New Research: The Mindset for Effective Networking
by Dan Richards,
Talk to advisors about networking and you will hear two main complaints: It's uncomfortable to introduce yourself to people you don't know, and it doesn't work. Many advisors have tried without success to convert community activity into new clients. Networking might make these advisors feel "dirty."
Howard Marks on Luck and Skill in Investing
by Justin Kermond,
When Howard Marks graduated from the Booth School of Business of the University of Chicago, he was turned down for the one job he really wanted. That, he said, was the luckiest moment of his career. The firm that turned him down was Lehman Brothers.
Are DFA's Funds Active or Passive?
by John Coumarianos,
Larry Swedroe's recent critique of Graham and Dodd value investing mischaracterized DFA's value funds as "passive." Beyond that, he misread James Montier's discussion of "perfect" value investors, made unfair comparisons among funds and didn't measure risk properly.
Yemen: A Land with a Rich Past and a Poor Present
The country of Yemen is slowly dissolving in the midst of an ongoing civil war. The Houthi movement has aggressively secured territories in the north, while al-Qaeda has widened its activities in the south. Outside powers are watching these developments closely. Yemen’s neighbor and U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia, would like to see the Houthi insurgency stopped as the group is widely viewed as a proxy for Iran. At the same time, the U.S. has been a partner to Yemen in fighting al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, but the fall of its government has left the U.S. without a formal partner.
Markets Pause While Awaiting Federal Reserve Activity
U.S. equities were mixed last week, with the S&P 500 declining -0.2%. The Federal Reserve (Fed) had a busy week, as the nuanced debate continues around when to begin policy normalization. The global policy divergence grabbed headlines, but the focus was mainly on negative yields in Europe and inflows to non-U.S. equities.
Obama Comments on IRA Fiduciary Rules
Last week the President gave a speech in which he focused on forthcoming Labor Department rules intended to ensure that IRA holders receive investment advice unencumbered by financial advisor conflicts of interest. In conjunction with the President’s speech, the Labor Department will be re-issuing proposed rules addressing the extent to which financial advisors may receive compensation in connection with investments made by IRAs and other retirement accounts they advise. The new proposed rules should be available in the next 60-90 days.
Fed Has Less Patience For ZIRP
Economic data will have something for everyone this week. The ISM reports (manufacturing and non-manufacturing) will likely be held down by unusually harsh weather and the Port closures. But, autos sales should remain strong and January jobs data are set for a gain close to 250,000.
States Feel Impact of Oil Price Collapse
Crude oil prices have fallen sharply since last summer, a bright spot for American consumers. Major oil-producing states aren’t as happy, because the loss in tax revenue is impacting budgets and economies. Some states will face real hardship; others will emerge relatively unscathed.
US Economy: Cooler Than Consensus
The rebound is over, and we can’t just blame the dreadful winter weather. Much recent data have been disappointing. Even though I believe they are not bad enough to be recessionary signals, they do suggest that the recovery going forward may be a bit blander than hoped.
What’s Really Driving the Value of the Euro and Yen?
by Bradley Krom of WisdomTree, Inc.,
With a majority of developed markets rallying strongly over the last several years, we think the single biggest determinant for investors actually being able to capture those returns has hinged on their ability to manage currency risk.
Why We Invest in Royalty Companies
Royalty companies basically serve as specialized financiers that help fund cash-strapped miners’ exploration and production projects. In return, they receive either royalties on whatever the mine produces or what’s known as a “stream,” which is a commitment to an agreed-upon number of ounces of gold or other precious metal per year.
On My Radar: Equity Valuations, Recessions and Market Declines
Today let’s take a look at the hard evidence signaling slowdown. My personal view is that slowdown would not be as much of a problem if valuation measures were low. They’re not: by just about every measure the market is overpriced, overbought and over believed. What can you do? I share a simple and disciplined rules based way for you to stay invested in the market’s primary trend.
Today’s Floating Rate Loan Market
by Heather Rupp of AdvisorShares,
Together the high yield bond and floating rate bank loan market total over $3 trillion.1 This has evolved into a significant, and growing asset class. With high yield bonds and loans now representing about 30% of corporate credit2, this market deserves not only our attention, but we also feel is ripe with opportunity for investors.
The Herd Can Be Blind
by Peter Schiff of Euro Pacific Capital,
Going into 2015 the economic outlook held by the U.S. investment establishment could not have been much more positive, and more unified. Pundits saw all the variables aligning to create the best of all investment worlds, a virtual "no-brainer" of optimism. Many believed that the 5.0% annualized growth in 3rd quarter would stay strong in the 4th Quarter and then usher in a strong 2015, which many believed would be the best economic year since the crash of 2008. The only question that divided most forecasters was how good the year would be.
Value Oriented Bond Management
Equity investors can be categorized into a broad range of equity strategies, including valuation-based approaches, whereas bond investors generally think in terms of interest rates and duration management. Professional investment managers have been taught that the market is efficient and while this may often be true, we believe there are a number of select areas within the bond market that exhibit less efficient behavior. This paper will discuss these potential inefficiencies and how “value oriented” bond management looks to exploit the inefficiencies. First we need to define “traditi
Plan to Exit Stocks Within the Next 8 Years? Exit Now
by John Hussman of Hussman Funds,
Unless we observe a rather swift improvement in market internals and a further, material easing in credit spreads – neither which would relieve the present overvaluation of the market, but both which would defer our immediate concerns about downside risk – the present moment likely represents the best opportunity to reduce exposure to stock market risk that investors are likely to encounter in the coming 8 years.
Weighing the Week Ahead: Will the Economic News Alter Fed Policy?
The exact timing of the first Fed rate increase does not matter. There is a difference between tight monetary policy and slightly less accommodative policy. Markets do quite well in the early stages of rising rates, especially when starting from a low initial point. This will be ignored by many who will invoke “Don’t fight the Fed.” This will be the fundamental battleground between traders and investors, bears and bulls, and various political types – perhaps lasting for years. The end of the business or stock market cycle is not imminent. Bull markets do not die of old age.
The Fat Pitch Weekly Market Summary
by Urban Carmel of The Fat Pitch,
When SPY has risen 3 weeks in a row, it most often rises further for at least one more week. SPY has been up 3 weeks in a row 19 times in the past 4 years. In 17 of those 19 times (89%), it continued up at least one more week. In one of those 19 instances, SPY gave back half its gains before going higher (yellow arrow); and in just one instance, SPY gave back 100% of its gains (red arrow).
The Negative Way to Growth?
by Nouriel Roubini of Project Syndicate,
Monetary policy has become increasingly unconventional in the last six years, with central banks implementing zero-interest-rate policies, quantitative easing, credit easing, forward guidance, and unlimited exchange-rate intervention. But now we have come to the most unconventional policy tool of them all: negative nominal interest rates.
Power Surge for Women as Emerging Consumers
What’s the connection between electricity and women? Electricity is an agent of empowerment, able to transform societies and economies in emerging markets. It paves the way to buying home appliances like electric cookers, refrigerators and washing machines, freeing up women from hours of daily housework. In our view, more access to power in developing countries will be a catalyst for more women to join the workforce, leading to huge changes in consumer spending patterns.
Recession is On the Way: Questioning One's Sanity; Beat the Crowd, Panic Now!
In 2006-2007 I called for a recession. We got a big one. I called for another one in 2011, as did the ECRI. That recession never happened.
50% is not a very good recession predicting track record except in comparison to consensus economic opinions that have never once in history predicted a recession. Consensus opinion is batting a perfect 0.00%
We're Having "Flation"
We decided to look back at the last four years and get a sense of what is happening with prices. And, like so many investment discussions these days, our conclusions are not uniform. In the case of consumer prices, we are having inflation, disinflation depending on which major component of the CPI you watch. Conclusion: just as the broad stock market can have many underlying sub-trends within it, so too can that be the case for consumer prices. “Flation” – it is everywhere and of all three types in today’s consumer world.
Hasenstab on Global Growth: Headwinds or Tailwinds?
While some forecasters predict gloomy global growth this year, the contrarian-minded Dr. Michael Hasenstab, chief investment officer, Templeton Global Macro Group (formerly known as Templeton Global Bond Group), has a different view. He aims to counter what he sees as “excessive pessimism” surrounding the global economy and outlines why he believes the recent plunge in oil prices could prove a tailwind, not only for economic growth in the United States, but also in Europe. He also offers his scorecard regarding Japan’s monetary policy experiment dubbed “Abenomics.”
Rhyming…but not Repeating.
Stocks have recovered their January losses and have continued to move higher. While economic growth remains solid and we remain secular bulls, investors should be prepared for increased volatility and the potential for a near-term correction. Also, European stocks may be due for at least a pause and we suggest looking to add exposure to emerging market positions if needed. Staying well diversified and keeping an eye on rebalancing is the recommended strategy.
Are Expectations Too High?
by Burt White of LPL Financial,
The market’s continued ascent has caused some to ask if the stock market reflects excessive optimism. The pace of economic surprises as measured by the Citigroup Economic Surprise Index suggests expectations remain reasonable. We view recent economic disappointments as largely temporary, and would expect the surprise index may reverse recent declines as expectations have come down, providing support for cyclical sectors.
With the Bank of Canada, Is the Canadian Economy in Good Hands?
A disorderly decline in energy prices could spill over into consumer and business sentiment, which would worsen any drop in Canada's economic output. More rate cuts this year are likely a part of the Bank of Canada's base case scenario. Investors may be able to improve their returns by buying bonds with high-quality credit spreads, including Canadian bank senior debt and Ontario bonds.
On the Long Bond and Why the Widow Maker is Alive and Well
by Team of Knowledge Leaders Capital,
Perhaps one of the most important questions investors need to answer today is whether we've seen the low in the long bonds yields or whether the trend lower is firmly intact. The recent spike in the 10-year bond yields from 1.65% at the end of January to 2.14% just two weeks later has no doubt complicated the situation. In this piece we'll try to layout one case for lower yields still.
China’s New Generation of Entrepreneurs II
by Beini Zhou of Matthews Asia,
China has long been perceived to be a breeding ground for business copycats, and has struggled with rampant intellectual piracy. Many businesses there have indeed been founded based on business models that originated in the U.S. or Europe. But what’s been overlooked in recent years is China’s rising “innovation machine.” More favorable government policies toward R&D have helped. This month, Asia Insight takes a look at developments in China’s grassroots-level entrepreneurship.
ECRI Recession Watch: Weekly Update
Today's new release of the publicly available data from the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) puts its Weekly Leading Index (WLI) at 130.6, up slightly from 130.4 the previous week. The WLI annualized growth indicator (WLIg) is at -4.5, down from the previous week's -4.2 but off the interim low of -5.0 in mid-January.
Reconnecting with Energy Stocks
by Sharon Fay of AllianceBernstein,
Plunging oil prices since mid-2014 have led many equity investors to shun energy stocks. We think that’s a mistake. By studying the aftermath of previous oil shocks, we believe investors can gain insight to prepare for a possible rebound.
Results 7,101–7,150
of 23,263 found.
