K2 Advisors seeks to add value through active portfolio management, tactical allocation and diversification across four main hedge strategies: long short equity, relative value, global macro and event driven.
Intensifying demand to have everything at one’s fingertips seems to be the driving force behind the innovation in technology, finance and even industrials.
Intensifying demand to have everything at one’s fingertips seems to be the driving force behind the innovation in technology, finance and even industrials. Franklin Equity Group’s Matt Moberg, vice president and portfolio manager, Franklin DynaTech Fund, observes a general shift in the technology industry to address evolving consumer needs.
July marks the 20th anniversary of what was considered to be the start of the Asian Financial Crisis (AFC), which sent shockwaves through the region and beyond. The crisis was thought to have started in Thailand in the summer of 1997, although its roots stem from even earlier systemic problems, namely in the financial sector.
Many investors who lived through the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-2009 still might bear some scars, according to Franklin Templeton’s annual Retirement Income Strategies and Expectations (RISE) survey. The survey explores individuals’ attitudes and expectations about retirement and how prepared people feel regarding their future.
China is forging new global connections and expanding trade and market access in many ways. The country does seem to be opening its capital markets and working to become more transparent. We have seen the success of stock linkages between mainland China and Hong Kong, and recently, a new bond market connection has been announced.
A year ago, Templeton Global Equity Group’s Norm Boersma, Cindy Sweeting and Heather Arnold penned an article for Beyond Bulls & Bears discussing the signs of a revival in value stocks. With the nascent rally in global value stocks underway, the trio return along with their colleague Tucker Scott to outline where they now see the next pockets of overlooked potential opportunities for patient bargain hunters.
In this month’s Global Economic Perspective, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group examines whether inflation may gain momentum in the United Sates, why it’s pleased the European Central Bank has resisted tapering of its quantitative easing program and why investors in all markets need to be cognizant of political risks.
Despite some uncertainties, economic improvements in developed and emerging markets have supported a positive mood across both equity and fixed income this year.
While I can't always respond to each of your questions directly, I do enjoy hearing from my readers and followers and value your feedback. I am quite delighted to see people from all over the world reaching out via my blog, Twitter and LinkedIn. Keep them coming! Here are a few; hopefully one of my responses will answer a question of yours.
As equity markets digest the implications of another surprising UK election outcome, Colin Morton, vice president, portfolio manager, Franklin UK Equity Team, analyzes the immediate aftermath and asks whether the result could offer some grounds for optimism over the medium term.
In the sort of unexpected twist that observers have come to expect from elections recently, UK voters have dealt a bitter blow to Prime Minister Theresa May, robbing her of her narrow parliamentary majority. With further financial market volatility on the horizon, David Zahn, head of European Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, offers his view of the situation.
Changing political policies and priorities can impact certain market sectors-for better or worse. Health care costs and prescription drug pricing were hot-button issues in the United States during the 2016 presidential election, and the Trump administration has been pushing forward its own health care agenda. So far this year, the health care and biotechnology (biotech) sectors have shaken off uncertainty, but are investors too optimistic? Franklin Equity Group's Evan McCulloch says drugs actually behave more predictably than politicians-but he sees reasons to affirm the market's positive outlook.
Although frontier markets are a small subset of the emerging market universe, we think they represent an important constituency that offer some compelling potential opportunities. Here, I've invited my colleague Carlos Hardenberg, senior vice president and director of frontier markets strategies at Templeton Emerging Markets Group, to outline some of the opportunities he sees in these dynamic markets and debunk some of the urban myths..
Just when Brazil’s economy seemed to be turning a corner, a new political scandal has caused a strong market reaction, sending Brazil’s stock market into a tailspin. President Michel Temer, who came into office following the impeachment of former President Dilma Rouseff due to a corruption scandal, is now caught up in a corruption scandal of his own
As the cost of a college education continues to rise, parents (and their children) are coming up with creative ways to finance it.
K2 Advisors’ Founding Managing Director David Saunders is speaking at the prestigious SALT conference this month in Las Vegas, where he’ll discuss the liquid alternatives landscape and why he thinks now’s the time for investors to consider this asset class.
China’s National People’s Congress met in March, which seemed like a good backdrop for our annual Templeton Emerging Markets research meeting, which took place the same month in Shanghai, China.
In the latest edition of "Global Macro Shifts," the Templeton Global Macro team examines potential US corporate tax reform and the possible impacts of a border adjustment tax (BAT). Read an excerpt from the paper.
Voters across the globe seem to be clamoring for change, and South Korea’s presidential election may be viewed as another example. Moon Jae-in, considered a left-leaning liberal, won the presidential election in South Korea.
There were no surprises as French voters elected Emmanuel Macron as their new president after the second round of voting. Franklin Templeton’s investment professionals share their thoughts on the prospects of a Macron presidency and suggest it might not be plain sailing for the self-styled political outsider.
Air travel is a quick and convenient way to get from one place to the next, but sometimes it’s nice to slow down and enjoy the journey. Traveling by sea gives you time to contemplate what you’ve seen at different ports of call, from sleepy seaports to bustling shipping and shopping centers.
With US equities charging to new heights, some market observers are questioning whether the market is climbing a “wall of worry” based in part on policy promises that haven’t yet been delivered.
Oil is back in the news, with the price of benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude roughly doubling from last year’s lows driven by steady demand and coordinated supply cuts by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC producers.
There's some clear blue water between the two candidates contesting the final round of the French presidential elections on May 7: Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron. Here, David Zahn, head of European Fixed Income, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, shares some thoughts on the potential market implications of the race.
The sorry state of US infrastructure was a major talking point during the 2016 US presidential election, and was seen as one of the few areas that could garner bipartisan political support. But certainly, the need for infrastructure is a global issue that can offer a bridge to economic growth, particularly in emerging markets. Here, the Franklin Real Asset Advisors team builds a case for investing in infrastructure-related securities
The US equity market has been climbing since 2009, and many investors are finding reasons to believe the ascent should continue this year.
Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group talks monetary policy, European politics in the April Global Economic Perspective.
On a recent visit to Argentina, I was interested to see how things have changed under the leadership of a new administration—in many cases, due to constructive policy reforms.
In their second-quarter (Q2) 2017 outlook, K2 Advisors’ Research and Portfolio Construction teams share the key market events they have an eye on.
Amid the political uncertainty in Europe prompted by upcoming elections and the start of Brexit negotiations, another story is quietly playing out, involving improved economic and corporate conditions.
Many investors still have misconceptions about exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including the type of market exposure they are getting with traditional capitalization-weighted ETFs. Dr. Chandra Seethamraju, director of systematic modeling, Franklin Templeton Solutions, gives us the lowdown on the concept of “beta” within ETFs—specifically strategic beta—and how it can offer a smarter investment approach.
I’ve just been on an extensive trip through Latin America, starting in Mexico and proceeding to Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Here, I offer a few highlights—including reasons for optimism.
As far as most commentators are concerned, the first round of the French presidential elections, due to take place on April 23, will be a race to see who faces the far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen in the run-off in May.
With markets reacting in part to geopolitical events, it’s hard not to be distracted by news headlines. To help sift through some of the noise, several of our senior investment leaders recently participated in a roundtable discussion of the events shaping the global markets today, the implications for investors and where they see potential opportunities ahead.
The prospect of stabilizing commodity prices and improving corporate earnings has helped rebuild investor interest in emerging markets over the past year. But returning investors may find the constituents of today’s emerging markets are very different from those of the past.
The new US administration’s immigration policy may have angered some technology-sector executives, but the Trump administration has signaled an intention to put technology at the heart of its economic roadmap.
Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group’s David Zahn examines the issue of populism in Europe, including Dutch elections and a possible second Scottish referendum.
As I’ve previously written, I had the opportunity to visit South Africa recently and meet with a number of executives at companies there, as well as talk to people and observe various trends.
Following the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates at its March policy meeting, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group CIO Chris Molumphy weighs in on why fixed-income investors shouldn’t fret.
In this month’s Global Economic Perspective, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group weighs in on the factors spurring the US Fed’s decision to raise rates, why the ECB’s Draghi is likely to resist calls to adopt a more hawkish line, and why the backdrop for emerging markets has improved.
South Korea’s constitutional court decided to uphold the parliament’s impeachment of President Park Geun-hye amid a corruption scandal that has plagued the president and her adviser, Choi Soon-sil.
If you're like most working people, you've probably received a statement in the mail from the Social Security Administration listing your potential future benefits. Trying to figure out how Social Security arrived at those mysterious figures requires some detective work. Here, Gail Buckner, CFP, our personal retirement and financial planning strategist, attempts to crack the code. She discusses how your benefit is calculated and offers some strategies on how to maximize it.
I recently had the opportunity to visit South Africa, which has seen its fair share of challenges over the past few years.
US equities have generally been supercharged in the wake of the presidential election, but the utilities sector’s relative performance has dimmed instead.
I recently penned a blog on opportunities within leisure and entertainment in emerging markets, including the travel industry. With improved infrastructure and more access to reasonably priced flights, more travelers have been able to explore exotic locations they had previously only read about or seen on television.
Given the unpredictability of today’s financial markets, many investors are looking to reduce the impact of market volatility on their portfolios. Hedge-fund strategies—a type of alternative investment strategy—may help by potentially offering additional diversification, new sources of return and reduced risk.
For all that political events and speculation about policy direction have dominated news cycles over recent months, the US economy’s key fundamentals have changed remarkably little, in our view. The backdrop appears to us to be constructive, as a healthy level of consumer spending has been increasingly reinforced by a recovery in corporate earnings and investment.
The way investors think about emerging markets has been evolving—along with the markets themselves. One thing we at Templeton Emerging Markets Group emphasize is that one can’t consider emerging markets as one asset class; the opportunities are very differentiated between regions, countries and markets, with different fundamentals shaping them.
Happy Chinese New Year to all my friends and followers! There’s no question it’s a big holiday for leisure and entertainment. Last year, retail and dining expenditures for the Lunar New Year came in at 754 billion yuan ($US115 billion), according to China’s Ministry of Commerce.
