There is no shortage of hope – and hype – about what artificial intelligence could do for productivity and economic growth in the future. But we must bear in mind that our politics have proven too dysfunctional, and our policies too misguided, to manage even the most obvious threats to our future.
I'm going to predict the future. Not the coming year. Not the markets. But the trends that will emerge in 2024 and will shape the future, which advisory firms can prepare for now so that the strong, gusty winds of change will howl at their backs instead of in their faces.
Brian Kelly is The Points Guy, a pioneer in the cottage industry that helps credit card users get the most out of airmiles and other rewards. He got into it when young out of a determination to always fly business class. His motivation? “I’m six-foot-seven!” he says.
State taxes are not just a footnote in the financial statements of NBA players; they are a central element in the negotiation process.
Saving rates rose immensely across economies during the pandemic period. Government support programs, many designed to stimulate demand, elevated household incomes.
American shoppers won’t be deterred by mounting credit-card bills or the recent ripple of layoffs, according to the latest Bloomberg Markets Live Pulse survey.
The US economy is testing bond traders’ faith that the Federal Reserve will deliver a series of interest-rate cuts this year.
A period of market volatility and consolidation is likely as markets have already priced in much of the economy's good news.
The start of 2024 has been marked by record issuance in bonds both in the public and private sectors. But as fresh supply hits the bond market, prices have been dipping as of late.
While interest rates were left unchanged at the January Fed meeting as expected, there were some interesting hints about future monetary policy. Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute, opines.
Modern economies, even small ones, are unfathomably complex. The number of variables is far more than any human can comprehend or any model can track. It’s really no wonder so many forecasts are wrong.
Many investors limit their mandates to credits rated BBB or higher. But they could tap high-quality high yield—without adding to overall risk.
Political risk is global in 2024: Franklin Templeton Institute’s Kim Catechis highlights key elections to watch across the world in the coming year.
The ETF Playoffs have reached the final round. This weekend, spot bitcoin ETFs will square off against artificial intelligence to see who gets to be the champion of 2024! The winners were determined by vote on Exchange’s LinkedIn page. With the championship nigh, voting for the winner will open soon.
The basic tenets of building wealth, like having a well-diversified portfolio with long time horizons, are not difficult concepts that are relatively easy to implement. So, why don’t people follow them? In our latest insight, we analyze several risk/return charts across multiple time horizons and reveal the results that investors tend to find surprising.
The residential real estate market will continue to be at the mercy of interest rate policy throughout 2024, but there are other corners of the real estate market to consider. One active exchange traded fund, in particular, takes a different approach to real estate.
As expected, the Fed held rates steady in January, but importantly downplayed the likelihood that rate cuts will start as soon as March.
In this article, Russ Koesterich discusses why a different approach to portfolio construction within equities is warranted in 2024.
For Tesla Inc., being the tenth most valuable company with the greatest market capitalization and fastest growing profitability of any maker of cars and trucks, is seemingly atrocious.
US gross domestic product surprised to the upside in the fourth quarter of 2023, primarily led by US consumers and the government. Franklin Fixed Income Economist Nikhil Mohan sees the growth mix remaining largely the same in 2024.
For many investors, fixed income investments have a primary objective of preserving wealth. The known characteristics of owning individual bonds are a major reason for this: known income, known cash flow, known redemption date, known redemption value.
A renewed sense of optimism emerged during the fourth quarter, sparking an increase in U.S. equity trading volumes and a rally in risk-on fixed income assets.
As the calendar closed on 2023, investors were once again treated to magnificent returns in their stock and bond portfolio.
Income investors have an overwhelming number of investment options today. The menu ranges from traditional fixed income to equity investments like REITs to innovative covered call ETFs to more exotic vehicles.
History shows that monetary policy drives investment performance. When the Federal Reserve (Fed) hikes or cuts the fed funds target rate in response to economic conditions—or stays on hold while it assesses the data—performance will differ by sector.
The first round of the ETF Playoffs has concluded! Exchange, a conference for financial services professionals, is happening in Miami, February 11-14. Since Exchange is hosting a party for the big game at Miami’s hottest club, LIV, we’re hosting an ETF championship bracket.
If artificial intelligence is going to live up to the hype, Goldman Sachs analysts said recently, the excitement stage of AI needs to shift drastically this year into a period of meaningful deployment.
Economic growth in the US is off to a better start than expected this year, thanks largely to a long-awaited pickup in consumers buying “stuff” again after they shifted spending to experiences in 2022.
Trading in bonds these days means having to put up with more frequent market gyrations — and that’s just fine with big investors like Pimco and BlackRock Inc.
Regulatory conflation between financial advice and investment advice detrimentally impacts how financial services are delivered to our citizens.
Market expectations have established a high bar for central banks' rate cuts. Any disappointment like stronger inflation or economic growth could spark market volatility.
Prior to 2022, many retail investors likely eschewed buying individual Treasury bonds from the U.S. government. That’s because they didn’t offer much in the way of income.
Andy Rothman reviews data points that offer insights into the coming quarters.
To celebrate the pending Exchange conference, VettaFi and some key industry partners were at the Nasdaq MarketSite to help ring the opening bell last week. Exchange will be the industry’s largest ETF-, and most valuable advisor-focused, conference.
This week, follow Exchange on LinkedIn and vote for your favorite ETF trends of 2024.
A comfortable retirement is supposed to be the culmination of the American dream, yet far too many actual Americans are falling short of achieving it. In the spirit of fan fiction, I'd like to set up a better ending.
The latest economic data for the US are better than most dared hope a year ago. Inflation has fallen much faster than the Federal Reserve expected, and so far without the abrupt economic slowdown and higher unemployment that many economists thought likely.
Last July, I issued an open letter to the annuity industry requesting the introduction of a product to meet the needs of independent advisors who adhere to a safety-first, goals-based investing philosophy. That call has been answered.
Can inflation continue to decline, and what will drive it down?
Emerging markets debt proved sturdy in 2023. And more of the same could be on the way this year. That’s because fixed income investors are looking outside of the U.S. for elevated levels of income.
More institutional investors are exploring infrastructure for diversification, income and stable return potential as well as inflation protection. Investors are looking at both the traditional segments and newer digital sectors along with renewables.
In the middle of 2023 we argued that, according to our forecast for GDP at the time for the whole of 2023, employment was growing too fast and that it would have to slow considerably during the second half of the year.
A traditional 60/40 stock/bond portfolio has been a tried and tested strategy among financial planners. But income seekers can specifically reap the benefits of both assets with exposure to one active exchange-traded fund: the NEOS Enhanced Income Aggregate Bond ETF (BNDI).
The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged, without conveying any urgency to start cutting rates in the next few months. David Zahn, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s Head of European Fixed Income, weighs in on the implications for investors—and why lengthening duration may make sense.
Advisor Perspectives recently asked its community they are recommending the new spot bitcoin ETFs. Many made incorrect statements in their efforts to justify their opposition.
Much discussion of economics since the publication of Thomas Piketty’s book has indeed been influenced by his data and analytic framework.
The number of studies showing the success of universal basic income programs continues to mount. The latest comes from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, which recently released its initial report on a pilot project designed to test the feasibility of so-called UBI.
Bond traders looking for something to jolt the $27 trillion Treasury market out of its recent rut will probably still be left waiting for answers, even after a busy week packed with a Federal Reserve meeting, the government’s quarterly debt-sale plans and a slew of economic data.
A recent report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that AI will affect almost two out of every five jobs done by humans around the world. AI of course will impact work that is already somewhat or totally automated.
Interest rates in most parts of the world appear to be stabilizing, as inflation trends continue to decline from the high levels seen in the summer of 2022. Learn more about the implications for hedge fund strategies from K2 Advisors.
