Investors may be missing out on midcap stocks despite their notable appeal in performance and limited risk compared to other firms.
What do Americans receive in return for our considerable spending?
Diversification is a core principle of sound investing, but building a diversified portfolio is much easier in theory than in practice. In the recently published “2024 Diversification Landscape,” portfolio strategist Amy Arnott of Morningstar took a deep dive into the diversification potential of several major asset classes. As advisors build their clients’ portfolios, there are a few lessons from this research. First, it is impossible to predict which asset class will do well in any given year. Holding a variety of asset classes helps guard against being overly exposed to an area that falls out of favor. Second, while the correlation between stocks and bonds has increased, bonds still provide relatively strong diversification benefits. This means that the classic 60/40 portfolio is tough to beat, having produced returns of about 18% in 2023. Third, the asset classes with the strongest diversification benefits may come as a surprise to some advisors. Real estate is a questionable diversifier despite its popularity, while cash is a strong diversifier.
Over recent decades, the hot tech trends (from search to cellphones to social media to the digital economy and now to AI) have been a predominantly American story.
The AI-driven cloud and chip industries come into focus in the next month as Microsoft, Meta Platforms, and others prepare to report earnings.
The Northern Trust Economics team shares its outlook for growth, employment, inflation and interest rates in major markets.
Discover the reasons investors diversify their portfolio with alternative investments.
Many investors are bullish, or not fearful, of the future of stock returns. At Smead Capital Management, we continue to explain to our investors how poor the outcomes will be. Some ask when this view will change.
Since Silicon Valley Bank became the second-biggest failure in US history a year ago, other lenders have been trying to take its place in banking the fast-moving, entrepreneurial world of startups and tech companies.
Demand for Treasuries is holding up as the US government floods the market with more than $180 billion of new debt this week, a testament to the appeal of high yields for shorter-term notes.
Today’s technology-driven landscape makes it easier than ever for RIAs to embrace automation across their tech stack and supercharge their businesses. Advisors can save time and minimize errors by using trading and rebalancing tools, portfolio management and CRM systems to manage accounts. Automation in data analysis also frees up time to provide more personalized advice or pursue new business. During this episode, my guest will cover:
The stakes are high as two of the biggest artificial intelligence players prepare to unveil results, a day after Meta Platforms Inc. alarmed investors with its forecast.
Some of the world’s biggest energy trading companies are returning to metals, years after getting burnt in the notoriously difficult markets.
We believe high-yield munis carry additional risks, but are worth consideration by investors in higher tax brackets who are comfortable taking added risks.
After a strong start to the year, equity investors are assessing whether a range of escalating risks will lead to continued volatility ahead. In this quarter’s Systematic Equity Outlook, we’ll explore macro and micro risks through a systematic lens, and how we’re positioning portfolios to harness alpha opportunities ahead.
If investors are detectives seeking clues for outperformance in the US large-cap equity market, natural language processing is a team of tireless assistants.
Demand for copper is on the rise. Can its supply keep pace?
The market has been highly tuned to news from the Fed or developments in artificial intelligence technology to set expectations.
Active ETF strategies have stormed the scene over the past year and are growing at a dizzying pace.
At February's Exchange conference, New Frontier Advisors Chief Investment Officers was interviewed about his firm and the coming markets.
“I really had to learn to step up more and not be sitting in the shadows. And in the beginning, I think I often felt underestimated because I stayed in the shadows so much. But I guess my advice would be you're better at things than you think you are.” – Traci Shughart
After 25 years in the business, Traci Shughart of Premier Wealth Management continues building onto the mission she and her business partner first established of making the lives of clients and financial professionals less stressful by providing first-rate service solutions. Now, as CEO of the firm, Traci shares what it was like for her to step into the shoes of her predecessor, what she learned from him along the way, and advice she would offer anyone in a similar situation. Don’t miss this episode as Traci highlights her journey from substitute teacher to financial professional and why she believes quality service is so important.
Municipal bonds have many compelling tailwinds, but the municipal market can be a space with less differentiation and more homogenous product offerings relative to taxable bonds. Taking an active approach to the municipal bond space could help investors pursue higher current income and find relative value compared to more passive approaches.
A rally that has seen European bank stocks outpace both US peers and the Nasdaq over the last three years faces a key test in coming days when most of the region’s major lenders report results.
Interpreting flows into ETFs and mutual funds sometimes feels an awful lot like reading tea leaves, but I love it.
When it comes to social-media stocks, there’s Meta Platforms Inc., and then there’s everyone else.
The path to responsible investing is complicated by individual differences in personality traits and decision-making processes.
The bad news is that most of us will need to work longer. The good news is that, if we do it right, most of us will want to.
It’s a frequent question asked by organizations looking for an outsourced investment solutions provider. Our answer may surprise you.
Finance in the 21st century is still too costly, and clubby. Besides, when compared with the instantaneous gratification in other aspects of our digital lives, money appears to move too slowly online.
The dynamics of fiscal and monetary policy are now entering a new phase. Due to the emergence of negative Net National Saving (NNS), the law of diminishing returns can no longer fully capture the harmful effect of debt on economic growth.
Even if higher-for-longer interest rates are applying downward pressure on prices, bonds still look enticing.
Bitcoin’s much anticipated quadrennial halving occurred last weekend and the rewards earned by bitcoin miners will be, well, halved.
Timing has never been a crucial undertaking for fixed income allocations dedicated to asset preservation largely because this is a long-term endeavor dedicated to keeping an investor’s wealth intact.
VettaFi’s Saleem Khan dives into their latest behavioral intelligence data, highlighting key investing trends among advisors. Strategas’ Chris Verrone explains their recently launched Macro Momentum ETF (SAMM) and offers perspective on the current macro environment.
Perplexity AI, a startup using artificial intelligence to build a search engine to compete with Alphabet Inc.’s Google, has raised about $63 million in a new funding round that values the company at more than $1 billion.
Elon Musk is known to challenge the status quo — and that’s exactly what Tesla Inc.’s investors are worried about right now.
VettaFi examines the opportunities the growing hydrogen industry presents to the traditional midstream space.
By democratizing access to data, wealth management firms can future-proof, foster innovation, and develop new services and solutions that meet the evolving needs of their clients.
The economy continued to grow in the first quarter at what we estimate is a 2.6% annual rate. That’s a slowdown from the 3.1% rate in 2023, but still good compared to the past couple of decades when the average growth rate has been 2.0%.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth discussed the SPDR S&P Insurance ETF (KIE) with Chuck Jaffe of “Money Life.” The pair talked about several topics regarding the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
Merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the investment advisory space has been very active in recent years, and this, along with the increasing age of many firm founders, has prompted more than a few owners to explore the potential sale or merger of their firms.
Alphabet Inc. is bringing in so much cash that hopes are rising it will take a page out of the Meta Platforms Inc. playbook and start paying a dividend.
The world’s financial markets are encountering a force they didn’t bet on for 2024: A strong dollar is back and looks set to stay.
Amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, bullish momentum could remain for a pair of Vanguard oil ETFs.
When the Federal Reserve flooded the economy with cash during the Covid-19 pandemic it exacerbated a problem for America’s largest banks: What to do with all the extra deposits.
The melding of yield and rate risk mitigation is available in the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond ETF (BIV).
What should financial advisors do to attract and retain high-net-worth and affluent investors? I have a one-word answer.
Copper traded near $10,000 a ton, hitting a new two-year high on its way, as investors continue to pile in on a bet that miners will struggle to service a surge in demand for the bellwether industrial metal.
I have indicted the securities industry for spreading “a web of deceptions that have become conventional wisdom.” But a small part of the industry does provide products and services that are beneficial and necessary. That is the subject of this article.
Senior discounts aren't just about age; they're about a lifetime of work and contributions and a way of giving back to you. They also allow you to stretch your income and enjoy more experiences. You’ve earned the right to enjoy them.
