Talking and exchanging communication with advisors and clients over the last several years has shown that many of them are concerned about the fiscal path of this country and the consequences it is having on our debt.
People who are affiliated with the party that is represented in the White House always think the economy is better than those in the party not represented. Somehow, those opinions tend to change around elections. People’s views of the economy change very quickly if there is a change in control of the White House.
Seasonality has long influenced stock market trends, offering insights into predictable cycles of strength and weakness throughout the year. Yale Hirsch, the creator of the Stock Trader’s Almanac, is one of the most well-known contributors to studying these patterns.
A call for taking a closer look at hard assets given the macro backdrop has been a recurring theme this fall.
The yield curve indicates that US economic growth has slowed, with only limited signs that the economy could be heading into a broad decline.
Big energy companies are making the case that skyrocketing electricity demand from data centers — and the need to build more power sources to meet it — will end up being good for the climate.
Been with the same employer for 10 years or more? That doesn’t exactly make you a rarity in the US, where 30.2% of employed wage and salary workers were in that situation as of January 2024, according to data released last month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And while this percentage is down from a decade ago, it’s close to where things stood for the much of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.
Real estate stocks and related ETFs recently got a much needed positive jolt when the Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in September.
As advisors wrestle with the impacts of interest rates, inflation, and the election, it is more important than ever to hear from the experts.
We don’t talk about China enough. I suspect this is for several reasons. First, because the country is so incomprehensibly big and populous. Second, it has been an economic miracle. Many Chinese enthusiasts just see a straight line projection of their growth. To the moon, Alice!
With less than two weeks remaining before the U.S. presidential election, there’s a growing sense of uncertainty in the air. Investors are wondering how to position their money, bracing for the possibility of significant volatility and market shifts.
At his party’s inaugural investment summit last week, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer positioned himself as a champion for artificial intelligence. Appearing alongside former Google Chief Executive Officer Eric Schmidt, Starmer called AI an “opportunity,” rather than something to be scared of, and said his country “needs to run towards” it.
Even with inflation well and truly on the way down after the most aggressive interest-rate tightening in a generation, central banks are averse to declarations of victory. That the pace of price increases has been reined in without a major economic downturn is an accomplishment that warrants some trumpeting.
Some of the latest reads show growing momentum in the housing and homebuilding sectors. Investors can capitalize on this with targeted ETFs.
The Internal Revenue Service has announced new tax brackets for 2025, making now an ideal time to revisit the benefits of muni bond ETFs.
Advisors and their clients who seek to take advantage of the potential rewards of private equity investing should understand the performance dispersion between top- and bottom-performing managers, a factor that heightens both the risk and opportunity. Since private equity investments are designed to be long-term investments where capital can be locked up for years, getting the manager selection wrong can be a vexing obstacle to success.
Memory inflation of past events amplifies one's emotions and behaviors. As I will discuss, I believe that distress from recent price inflation is causing many investors to overly fear that a similar situation will reoccur.
When Warren Buffett calls a book on investing “by far the best book about investing ever written,” it is common sense to concede the point.
Equity investors face a bewildering sequence of tough-to-predict outcomes and confusing market signals. Patience and a steady hand look like valuable attributes in navigating through the noise.
To those who argue that value investing has gotten too hard in today’s momentum-chasing, passive-driven world, Scott McBride’s results are a bit of a conundrum.
Economists nudged up quarterly US economic growth projections through early next year on more sanguine views of consumer demand and maintained views that limited inflation will keep the Federal Reserve on a path toward lower borrowing costs.
One of the only things growing faster than progress in AI applications is speculation about AI’s effect on the economy. I don’t have all the answers, not by a long shot, but I do think we should expect great unevenness in adaptation, and that itself will alter our world.
The Federal Reserve's dual mandate is to maintain stable inflation and maximize employment. The Fed manages liquidity through its policy tools, but it's crucial to remember that the Fed is just one source of liquidity among several. In this quick insight, Dan Suzuki examines why tight Fed policy doesn't always equate to tight liquidity and looks into the historical data on Fed cuts.
Very recently there have been several earnings reports coming out. Earnings reports can often have a short-term impact on the price of the stock, especially in the short run. One of the sectors that has really been hit hard recently has been the health care sector, specifically Elevance and United Health Care had earnings announcements and they were somewhat negative.
Medicare open enrollment, held from October 15 to December 7, allows individuals to change or sign up for plans, and potentially save money and improve coverage. Our Bill Cass shares the key things you need to know.
Many investors today use EM debt for the wrong reasons, manage it imprudently, or overlook the best parts.
Financial markets moved higher yet again in the third quarter of 2024, and this time everyone joined in!
Two major labor unions, the Dock Workers Union and the Boeing Machinists Union, have attempted to reach an agreement with their employers on a contract. The dock workers agreement proposes an average 8.5% per year wage increase over six years, and the Boeing Machinists Union’s proposal is for an average 7.5% wage increase over four years.
Volatility creates a number of challenges for advisors and investors, but also opportunities for those who know where to look.
The period from 1956-1966 offers lessons we can apply to today's bull market, regarding technological progress, market fundamentals and more.
Galaxy’s Chris Rhine and State Street’s Matt Bartolini discuss their firms’ recent collaboration on three actively managed ETFs focused on digital assets and disruptive technology. VettaFi’s Roxanna Islam combs through new ETF filings from BattleShares, Cambria, iShares, Canary, and more.
Asset managers in Europe and the US have spent 2024 winding down hundreds of ESG funds, as the investment strategy continues to bump up against regulatory headwinds.
As Steward Health Care Systems LLC’s network of hospitals was struggling, it stopped paying some of its vendors. One of those vendors was a supplier of bereavement boxes, the tiny cases used to transport the remains of newborns who don’t survive.
Imagine if humanity decides it doesn’t have enough amusement parks. All the world’s nations announce they will be financing new ones across the planet. Bankers stand next to models of future parks and hand comically large loan checks to the developers. It’s not nearly enough to end the global amusement-park crisis, but they still win accolades and shareholder approval for doing their part.
This half-day symposium brings the brightest minds in the ETF and mutual fund industry together for panel discussions spanning critical fixed income topics.
The sharp selloff in Treasuries abated on Thursday, with US bonds rallying alongside European peers, after three straight days of declines.
Tesla Inc.’s shares surged after the carmaker reported surprisingly strong earnings and forecast as much as 30% growth in vehicle sales next year.
The tech sector approaches third-quarter earnings season in unusual territory, with investors worried about a slowdown in earnings growth over the last year. Margins loom large.
Volatile interest rates have spurred investment capital into motion. Clients often ask where they should allocate on the yield curve.
The start of a rate-cutting cycle has opened up new questions ― and possibilities ― for stock investors. Tony DeSpirito, Global CIO of BlackRock Fundamental Equities, outlines key areas to watch as the Fed takes action to “recalibrate” interest rates.
In our latest AB Disruptor Series episode, we take a closer look at the implications of a polarized US electorate on the macro and market landscape.
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.
Municipal bonds are an important component in a well-diversified fixed income allocation. We recently caught up with Sylvia Yeh, co-head of municipal fixed income at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, to dive deeper into this unique bond category.
Last year, James Gorman told the In Good Company podcast that now that he had stepped down as CEO of Morgan Stanley, he wanted a board role that was more than an easy paycheck. "I want something that is complicated. I like solving problems,” he said.
It’s inevitable that the market dynamics that have delivered cheaper airfares, used cars and rents in the past year will eventually turn around. One high-profile reminder came from United Airlines’ earnings last week.
