The employment report was uniformly strong except for one component: the average hours worked per week fell to the lowest level since the pandemic, which may be weather related.
We explore why extreme market concentration is unsustainable, how competition and innovation drive broader market performance, and why diversification is key as volatility rises. Don’t let market extremes catch you off guard.
As the sequel unfolds, particular industry sectors in affected countries are likely to be more impacted. Global Head of Credit Research Mike Talaga, Head of EMEA Credit Research James Maxwell, and Client Portfolio Manager Celia Soares discuss the implications for credit investors.
The equity markets were lower after facing a trifecta of headwinds from China, the Fed, and the White House. Stocks are running a bit serpentine right now, with tech under extreme pressure in response to headlines highlighting the low-cost language model developed by Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek.
Tariff policies have been announced and then subsequently rescinded or delayed–but not yet resolved. They may still hold the potential for market volatility.
While the expectation is Congress will raise the debt ceiling, the process is likely to be volatile.
Is an M&A boom brewing?
Faced with escalating labor expenses—from wages to benefits—businesses are rethinking traditional workforce expansion. Instead, they are investing in AI technologies that promise scalability, efficiency and unparalleled productivity.
Municipal bonds were a hot topic at last week’s VettaFi Fixed Income Symposium — more than I expected them to be.
The past few weeks have been challenging for the Magnificent Seven stocks and the broader AI equity complex.
Investors are increasingly moving into active ETFs from mutual funds, as the ETF structure may offer numerous benefits over mutual funds.
Join the experts at VictoryShares and VettaFi for an in-depth exploration of FCF and how it can be used to maximize your portfolio’s potential.
When sales conversations turn into social exchanges, they often feel inauthentic, and your prospect may begin to question your motives. If they sense you’re more interested in developing a relationship than in solving their problem, it’s unlikely that you’ll close the deal.
As these two strategies evolve, financial advisors must understand their nuances to align client portfolios with current market conditions and future financial goals.
ETFs have always been a useful tool to play momentum and reversal in markets. However, the biggest question is always when to enter and exit such specific ETFs as the markets move through their cycles.
The professional development journey for financial professionals is best approached through a structured three-step process involving foundational designations, advanced level specializations, and niche market concentrations.
Gold endured a volatile few hours’ trading — rallying to a record, then paring gains — after President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on US steel and aluminum imports, adding to uncertainty in global markets.
Startup investors including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and SoftBank Group Corp. are betting that quantum computing, often thought of as a fantastical science experiment, is getting closer to having sweeping real-world applications.
OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman rebuffed Elon Musk’s $97.4 billion offer to take control of the artificial-intelligence startup for the second time in less than a day, accusing the world’s richest man of making the bid just to gain a competitive advantage.
Bloomberg’s bonus calculator offers a revealing look at the divergent value of Wall Street employee payouts.
Oil smuggling isn’t easy, but it’s so enormously profitable that obstacles only slow it down. Sure, the authorities can make dealing illicit barrels a bit less financially rewarding; ultimately, however, the oil will flow.
President Donald Trump ordered a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports, escalating his efforts to protect politically important US industries with levies hitting some of the country’s closest allies.
Over the weekend, President Trump announced tariffs of 25% on both Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10% tariff on China.
The federal government gets a great deal of grief when it issues economic reports and it’s not hard to see why.
We provide an update on the 4Q24 earnings season and explain why our positive outlook on tech- related companies remains unchanged.
Tariff threats offer a glimpse of what is in store.
Exploring the delicate balance between protectionism and global cooperation
On the latest edition of Market Week in Review, Senior Director & Chief Investment Strategist for North America Paul Eitelman discussed the main themes from U.S. 4Q 2024 earnings season, and provided a U.S. trade policy update & recent announcements from global central banks.
Integrating private assets may enhance target-date glide paths, but know your exposures.
Last week’s economic data reflected resilience and uncertainty. Key indicators pointed to ongoing expansion.
Consider gaining AI market exposure through data center ABS (asset-backed securities) and CMBS (commercial mortgage-backed securities).
Alex Mackey of MFS delved into the active bond strategies underpinning MFSB and MFSM in the recent Q1 2025 Fixed Income Symposium.
Adding cash-flow-matched bond strategies to a total return strategy appears to improve total return relative to risk by reducing the likelihood of poor outcomes.
Whether its crypto last quarter or the Mag Seven-led S&P of the past two years, FOMO is natural when we see big gains. Hey, we’re all human.
While Merton is one of the most brilliant financial economists who ever lived, high-level quantitative chops do not guarantee financial success.
In this note, we'd like to share our analysis of one potential solution we've been hearing about a lot lately. It involves leveraged direct index tax-loss harvesting.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the MFS Active Core Plus Bond ETF (MFSB) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
US inflation showed scant signs of downward momentum at the start of the year, while healthy job growth undergirded the economy, backing the Federal Reserve’s stance to hold the line on interest rates for now.
Looking for an investment idea that’s paid off handsomely in commodities markets over the past six months? Try betting on the tropics.
If you’re looking to a popular stock market tracker like the S&P 500 Index to gauge the effect of President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs, don’t. It’s likely to be insulated from much of the fallout and therefore fail to reflect the true impact on US businesses.
Everyone should have access to a quality retirement plan. That should not be a radical statement. People deserve to age with dignity and not worry about outliving their savings or paying for necessities like shelter and food.
At the start of this week, the question was whether the shock of China’s supercheap AI DeepSeek would compel Silicon Valley’s big artificial-intelligence companies to reduce their spending.
Some allocators may focus their search efforts on corporate credit segments or simply a portfolio that can opportunistically trade across fixed income sectors.
Today we’ll talk about Trump, tariffs, cycles, and DOGE. Jumping right in…
Tech results last week were more anticipated than usual due to the emergence of Chinese AI startup DeepSeek in the prior week.
Markets, as many of you are aware, don’t like uncertainty. And right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy.
In today’s era of automation, some situations demand a more active approach. Municipal bond investing is one.
Tariffs seem to have become a staple of Americans’ dictionaries lately as the new administration uses this policy instrument to achieve objectives that are not directly tied to the reasons tariffs have been used in the past.
Since our last update of our ‘Three Tactical Rules’ on November 26, 2024, equity markets are up slightly.
Broadcom looks to build off last year's strength, which should give bullish traders another year of potential gains.
