Today we are going to look at some of the uncertainties in our world and then explore some ways to gain a little certainty.
The first quarter of 2025 marked a significant departure from the preceding two years, which had been characterized by an improving global economy and correspondingly positive market returns. Market performance in Q1 was dominated by abrupt, short-term policy shifts rather than longer-term economic trends, and tariffs became the foremost concern for market participants.
Retail sales surged as consumers seemingly bought ahead of tariffs while a volatile stock market experienced a sharp mid-week sell-off.
In this week’s installment of “Three on Thursday,” let’s explore some of the dynamics surrounding the United States dollar. In an era of inflation, massive debt, large deficits, and threats of tariffs, there are persistent rumors circulating that the dollar is at risk of losing its reserve currency status.
Right now we are in an incredibly complicated environment with regard to U.S. tariff policy gyrations and its whipsawing impact on global equity markets. One thing we can confidently assert is that however the trade negotiations play out, there will be higher tariffs and this will be negative for U.S. growth.
Audiences worldwide turn to Netflix for escapism. Wall Street is doing the same.
LPL Financial LLC announced today that financial advisor Steve Jones of Tenacity Investment Group has joined LPL Financial’s broker-dealer, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) and custodial platforms.
This month’s panic-driven selling across municipal bonds — fueled by the boom in ETFs — is proving a mixed blessing for investors in a normally sedate market corner.
One day doesn’t make a trend, but wary small-caps investors may find some comfort in knowing the Russell 2000 Index jumped 8.50% on Wednesday
Cryptocurrency prices, including bitcoin’s, have been turbulent this year. That’s weighed on shares of miners. Some relief could be in sight.
US critical minerals stocks have soared this week, getting a boost from signs that the Trump administration will favor a sector that’s become a flashpoint in the trade standoff between the US and China.
Join us for a 30-minute discussion, where Zeno Mercer, lead index researcher on robotics and AI, and Shachi Merchant from ROBO Global ETFs will provide the latest updates on the robotics, automation, and AI investment landscape.
US Treasuries fell, snapping three days of gains, as traders pared bets on Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts after Chair Jerome Powell reiterated his commitment to keeping inflation in check.
Eli Lilly & Co. shares surged after data showed its experimental weight-loss pill worked as well as the Ozempic shot, bringing it one step closer to developing a needle-free alternative.
With Congress out for the next two weeks for Easter recess and a short trading week in New York, it should be a quieter week – though tariff-related news continues to capture headlines.
Covered call strategies have been around for a very long time, but covered call ETFs have recently enjoyed a massive increase in popularity.
The month of April will unfortunately go down in financial market folklore as being one of the more noteworthy on record.
Although uncertainty remains, perpetual market swings may be less frequent.
CIO Sean Taylor assesses a better-than-expected quarter for emerging markets and takes stock of the drivers that may support the asset class in what could be difficult months ahead for global markets.
JPMorgan's Jon Maier spoke with VettaFi about active management in the ETFs space approaching investing in the current environment.
If the goal is to use technological platforms to customize and maximize the experience for your clients, it seems many of us still have a way to go.
If your business isn’t strategically managing its digital presence, it could be losing customers without even realizing it. The brands that master GEO and SEO today will be the ones shaping the marketplace of tomorrow.
Technology stocks sank as new US government restrictions on the export of Nvidia Corp. chips to China and a disappointing report from ASML Holding NV dimmed the outlook for the semiconductor sector, wiping out more than $180 billion in market value for the two companies alone.
In San Francisco’s financial district, the One Montgomery building evokes the opulence of America’s turn of the 20th century gilded age. With its Tuscan columns, marble staircases and bronze doors, the Renaissance Revival landmark once housed Crocker Bank, named after one of the tycoons who built the western portion of America’s first transcontinental railroad.
Swedish firm EQT AB received more than $10 billion in investor commitments for its latest pan-Asia private equity fund, putting it on track to reach its fundraising goal despite the market volatility.
Navigating market volatility can be challenging for investors. Our Bill Cass shares several tax planning strategies to consider.
Last week, the S&P 500 was up 5.7%, the strongest week for the market since November 2023.
While the US experiments with reordering the world’s trading system, uncertainty rises and volatility ensues. We are reminded of the delicate balance between safeguarding domestic interests and promoting a cooperative global trading system.
The announcement that LPL Financial will acquire Commonwealth Financial Network marks another major shift in the wealth management landscape—and presents a pivotal career moment for Commonwealth’s nearly 2,900 financial advisors.
While we continue to feel the U.S. has structural investment advantages, we are mindful that the scope of the current administration's policy shifts may present challenges to our sustained economic momentum.
2025 has marked a striking reversal, with European stocks delivering exceptional returns that have handily surpassed US market performance.
The current market unrest over the potential for tariff increases and their impact is unpredictable. The volatility can be unnerving.
SPY's recent surge of inflows showcases how advisors are using ETFs as crucial vehicles for navigating market volatility.
VettaFi’s Cinthia Murphy looks at several surprising ETF developments from a wild week in the markets. VistaShares CEO Adam Patti highlights the firm’s unique approach to ETFs, which includes the VistaShares Target Berkshire Select Income ETF (OMAH).
Markets have had a wild ride these past couple of weeks, alongside chaotic tariff-related news, with volatility (and its policy triggers) most elevated in the bond market.
After sinking nearly $2 billion into a triple-levered semiconductor fund last week, retail investors are enduring a volatile ride as the Nasdaq 100 swings between gains and losses.
Unlike traditional methods that rely on selling assets, crypto lending 2.0 enables investors to borrow against their bitcoin, unlocking liquidity while preserving the upside potential.
US equities extended a rebound into a third session Tuesday as traders weighed the ongoing global trade war against a slew of positive earnings reports from Wall Street banks.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth talked about the Neuberger Berman Commodity Strategy ETF (NBCM) with Money Life host Chuck Jaffe. The pair covered a range of topics related to the fund, providing investors with a deeper understanding of the ETF.
Bitcoin and its peers are speculative assets. They have value because enough people believe they do, not because they’re backed by a central authority or tied to any intrinsic utility.
A new cryptocurrency aims to occupy the final frontier of investor safety — cash that doesn’t lose purchasing power to inflation.
Commodity markets face uncertainty from tariffs, global growth risks and geopolitics, but may show resilience. Tight supply and global stimulus support a constructive long-term outlook.
Swap spreads measure the difference between the interest rate on a swap and the yield on a Treasury bond with the same maturity.
On the evening before his presentation at the Exchange Conference last week, I sat down with Rob Arnott to discuss whether now is the time for smart beta to shine. Arnott is the founder and chair of Research Affiliates and is known as the “godfather of smart beta.”
In a tumultuous environment, investors increasingly turned to actively managed bond ETFs this year according to JPMAM research.
As with all decisions involving uncertainty, we want to find the answer which maximizes your expected risk-adjusted return, not your base-case or expected return. This means that we have to go beyond the industry standard and explicitly account for risk in our analysis.
Meta Platforms Inc. heads to court on Monday to defend claims it is an illegal monopoly and should be broken up. The Federal Trade Commission, even without former President Joe Biden’s antitrust hawk, Lina Khan, at the helm, seems to be going full steam ahead — despite Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg’s attempts to wine and dine the president into a change of heart.
Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and UBS Group AG issued another round of bullish calls for gold, with stronger-than-expected central bank demand and the metal’s role as a hedge against recession and geopolitical risks underpinning expectations for even higher prices in 2025.
Four of the nine indexes on our emerging markets watch list have posted gains through April 11, 2025. Chile's IPSA is in the top spot with a year to date gain of 11.2%. Brazil's IBOVESPA is in second with a year to date gain of 6.3% while Mexico's BMV IPC is in third with a year to date gain of 3.5%.
Last week’s data can be summarized by a volatile market reacting to tariff news and a backwards-looking inflation reprieve.
