Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) holding only Russian equities have had creations suspended and trading halted since the war in Ukraine commenced.
Consumers were feeling the pinch of higher energy prices even before Russia invaded Ukraine. Energy prices have surged to multi-year or record highs amid the war, and many are wondering if they still have further to go. Here, Franklin Equity Group’s Frederick Fromm shares his latest views on investing in the sector.
Supply-chain issues are often cited in the current debate about inflation—and aren’t going away as quickly as consumers and businesses would like. Our Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions team explores how supply chains became stuck, whether they will loosen up in 2022, and the implications for multi-asset investors.
As the Federal Reserve debates its monetary tightening timeline, the labor market is an important factor to watch in the year ahead, according to our Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions team. Read their thoughts on the labor market’s implications for both monetary policy and risk assets.
As another year of living with COVID-19 draws to a close, David Mann, Head of Global Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Capital Markets, looks back on how the industry has fared in 2021—and how his prior predictions have unfolded.
Stephen Dover, Head of the Franklin Templeton Investment Institute, recently discussed growth, inflation, interest rates, and valuation...
The Fed seems to have been caught by surprise by its own policy and says this is not the inflation it was looking for.
In the ongoing discussion about liquidity and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), David Mann, Head of Global ETFs Capital Markets, examines a recent report outlining how ETFs have navigated the pandemic.
Insights from Franklin Templeton specialist investment managers Brandywine Global, Clarion Partners, ClearBridge Investments and Western Asset
The US Federal Reserve finally acknowledged inflation is not a “transitory” problem and signaled a greater degree of concern; but investors seem to think that the Fed will blink when markets balk.
Instead of purchasing the latest toy or electronic gadget for your children or grandchildren, what about giving them something that will last a lifetime and isn’t in limited supply: the gift of a more secure future. Sandra Palmer, Head of 529 Distribution for Franklin Templeton’s 529 College Savings Plan, discusses how crowdfunding can help finance a college education.
As we celebrate the holiday season and ponder what we are thankful for, it’s also time to take stock of one’s investments. Here, David Mann, Head of Global Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Capital Markets, opines on an ETF anniversary he’s thankful for—and offers some tax-planning food for thought.
While the new US infrastructure investment bill didn’t have any initiatives directly targeting the municipal bond market, there are still implications for munis in the longer term, according to our Municipal Bond Director of Research Jennifer Johnston. She explains the ramifications for investors in the space.
Moderate inflation can be good, especially for some value stocks. Christian Correa breaks down why investors should not be afraid of the current inflationary or rising rate environments and explains how they can actually help some businesses and areas of the equity market.
While “growth” and “value” have typically been seen as distinct styles, that type of thinking continues to evolve, according to our investment professionals.
Bill Zox and John McClain, portfolio managers with Brandywine Global, join Amer Hasan to discuss how current market and economic conditions could benefit high yield investors, the opportunities and risks right now, and why the asset class is often overlooked or misunderstood.
With a new Prime Minister taking the helm in Japan, what does the future hold? Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions’ Gene Podkaminer and members of the research team take a look at both local and global trends influencing Japan—and why investors should pay more attention to the country.
Investors need a more flexible, opportunistic approach to investing, given the current low interest rate environment with the likelihood of interest rates rising over the next few years, according to Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Investment Institute. He opines on inflation, debt, and changing economic sweet spots.
Successful international investing includes measuring financial risks and rewards caused by events in an affected country. Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Investment Institute, discusses how macroeconomic and political research complemented by environmental, social and governance (ESG) research provides investors additional prisms to view a country’s financials, impacts on climate change, and geopolitical risk.
Of all recent economic trends, sluggish employment growth is perhaps the most important for investors to watch, says Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai. She outlines why the labor market has been sluggish, and why it may remain that way for some time.
Energy prices have surged to multi-year highs amid the global economic recovery from COVID-19, contributing to larger-than-anticipated jumps in measures of headline inflation. While some policymakers had suggested inflationary forces would prove “transitory,” today many are questioning that thesis.
In this excerpt from our latest “Global Investment Outlook,” Franklin Equity Group Portfolio Manager Serena Perin Vinton discusses how her team thinks about environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing and the opportunities in investment-driven innovations levered to a more sustainable environment.
Rising inflation globally raises the question of whether inflation is persistent versus transitory, driving debate among our investment managers. Our Stephen Dover, Head of the Franklin Templeton Investment Institute, recently discussed economic growth, interest rates, and inflation during a roundtable,
The rise of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing is nothing short of extraordinary, according to Yu Meng, Chair of Asia Pacific at Franklin Templeton. As we are constantly reminded by extreme climate change events, he says urgent actions are required from all of parts of society and the economy, including the financial markets.
A three-party coalition could soon govern Germany for the first time in the country’s history following recent elections. Matthias Hoppe, senior vice president and portfolio manager, Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, believes uncertainty caused by coalition talks is likely to increase volatility in Europe’s financial markets, but changing a conservative attitude to public spending is the real challenge for a new government as Germany wrestles with the reality of increasing macro-economic imbalances and a stated aim to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045.
Investors spend a lifetime building a retirement nest egg. But once they retire—will it last?
Making It Last – Advanced Retirement Income Strategies for Everyday Investors offers key insights for developing a sustainable retirement income strategy for clients.
The German election resulted in change in party leadership, but market impact should be limited, according to David Zahn, our Head of European Fixed Income. He shares an overview of the election implications.
Investors and financial advisors alike want to understand the fascinating trends that are transforming the investment industry.
When diversification is a core principle for successful investing, what stops women from offering their talents in finance and investment careers?
There are several “paradigm shifts” impacting markets today, according to Templeton Global Macro CIO Michael Hasenstab. He outlines how central banks might approach tapering of pandemic-driven asset purchases, and the potential investment risks and opportunities he sees.
Our high yield corporate credit team has been monitoring how inflation is impacting various market sectors, with an eye on four factors: input cost inflation, pricing power, impact to earnings and repricing vulnerability.
Prices continue to climb, with the US CPI rising in June by the most since 2008.
In May, our municipal bond team published some thoughts on US President Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure package called “The American Jobs Plan.” As this package makes its way through Congress, the team will provide updates—here’s the latest from our Muni Bond Director Jennifer Johnston.
Our Chief Market Strategist Stephen Dover explores how quantum computers will soon unlock and slice through infrastructure and financial systems’ public key cryptography.
Heading into the second half of the year, pandemic concerns are not completely in the rear-view mirror.
The concept of retirement has changed over the decades—as have the ways of funding it.
Sir John Templeton famously said that “this time is different” are the four most dangerous words for investors.
The smallest companies in the market may be overlooked by many investors, but can offer big potential. Here, we posed some questions about micro-capitalization (microcap) stocks to Franklin Mutual Series Portfolio Manager Oliver Wong, who explains how they have fared recently and where he’s finding opportunities.
Much has changed since the oil-market collapse in the early pandemic days of 2020, when prices actually turned negative. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Research Analyst/Portfolio Manager Bryant Dieffenbacher looks back at industry developments since then, and outlines opportunities he sees in the high-yield energy bond market today.
Despite historically high market valuations, merger and acquisition activity remains subdued.
Our Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai has been ahead of the curve in flagging the risks of inflation and rising rates that have now entered the mainstream debate.
There is hope that economies will see a more sustainable and robust recovery this year, given unprecedented levels of monetary and fiscal stimulus and as more individuals are vaccinated against COVID-19. But one question for investors is what happens next—will inflation and higher interest rates be a consequence?
From cloud computing and automation to self-driving cars, technology continues to be one of the world’s hottest sectors. Our Chief Market Strategist Stephen Dover and Portfolio Managers Donald Huber and John Remmert believe active investing in technology and innovation is a global story, and government support and spending in next-generation technologies is likely a long-term positive.
Franklin Small Cap Value Fund Portfolio Manager Steve Raineri discusses why he thinks the near-record underperformance of higher-quality, profitable small-capitalization (small-cap) value stocks relative to lower-quality, unprofitable companies could present a compelling opportunity for longer-term investors as the US economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apart from some high-profile downgrades, the muni credit markets finished 2020 buoyed by breakthrough vaccines and signs that state and local tax collections were better than anticipated.
Although US technology equities tend to dominate the conversation about technology investing, Franklin Equity Group’s John Remmert and Don Huber believe there are many innovative international technology companies that tend to get overlooked.
Our Chief Market Strategist Stephen Dover believes cryptocurrency (crypto) is evolving into its next cycle of innovation. As an integral foundation for an alternative financial and internet ecosystem, crypto’s disruptions, opportunities, risks, and long-term implications are worth watching.
Stephen Dover, our Chief Market Strategist and Head of Franklin Templeton Investment Institute, shares four investment themes he’s thinking about as the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai shares her investment views and strategies for the post-pandemic recovery. She explains why inflation looks likely to gain steam, and how the balance of fundamentals and valuations become especially crucial today when looking for attractive returns in fixed income.
