Rick Rieder and team argue that a series of small, but more probable, wins in fixed income can pave the way for portfolios to outperform benchmarks in 2023.

War, inflation, rising rates, banking chaos, and recession are among the challenges facing markets. Investors must balance these shorter-term risks with the long-term return prospects of equities.

As COVID-era funding boosts come to a close, US state and local governments are facing some challenges. However, they have many tools with which to tackle them, according to Jennifer Johnston, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s Director of Research, Municipal Bonds. She provides her latest outlook.

The two primary styles of dividend investing are growth and yield. In the latter, investors embrace stocks with what are deemed above-average yields — often from slower-growth sectors, such as utilities and real estate.

Investors should rely on the wisdom of crowds as expressed through bond yields, not credit rating agencies, to judge fixed-income credit risk.

The tension around the US debt-limit negotiations ratcheted up after Fitch Ratings warned the nation’s AAA rating was under threat from a political standoff that’s preventing a deal.

Cities and states may have their work cut out for them as they explore solutions to preserve their commercial tax bases and maintain the vibrancy of their downtowns.

The 60/40 portfolio – and diversification in general – is undeniably justified.

AI’s arrival will have an increasingly large impact on our lives. That includes investing and, especially, other aspects of financial planning.

Most of us spent moments of our childhood, crayon in hand, connecting numbered dots that gradually revealed a picture that we couldn’t deduce simply by looking at the separate dots. With experience, we got better at looking at those isolated dots and mentally connecting them into a coherent “gestalt.”

Host Nate Geraci is back from Inside ETFs. VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth offers his thoughts on Nate’s key takeaways, which cover some of the industry's hottest trends.

If you’ve been to a high school or college commencement lately, then you know the drill: at some point at least one speaker will urge the graduates to be “agents of change,” suggesting they’d like to see these students make the world a better place through some sort of social activism.

We prefer private to public credit long term on better return potential. It’s the mirror image in equity: We prefer public stocks as risks fade in the medium term.

The era of 'free money' is over. The Fed's interest rate hikes are reshaping the corporate landscape, unveiling opportunities and risks unseen by fixed income investors in years.

We must understand our clients’ purposes and how they fit together in their lives. We need to take the initiative when rebalancing is in order.

Bond-market titans BlackRock Inc., Pacific Investment Management Co. and Vanguard Group Inc. are warning that recent violent swings in US Treasuries are only the beginning of a new era of volatility that’s here to stay until central banks conquer inflation.

A better retirement stress test would focus on the standard of living in retirement and how spending would need to change in times of market turmoil or heightened inflation.

The worst may be over for residential investment.

According to Buffett, the US economy just went through the “most extraordinary economic period since World War II.” That’s a heck of a statement.

A member of Putnam's Fixed Income team since 2007, Onsel Gulbiten analyzes macroeconomic issues, including inflation, interest rates, and policy developments.

Banks and financial institutions are big issuers of preferred securities, so the recent banking industry volatility has had an impact. Our guidance on preferreds is unchanged but with some caveats.

Negotiations among lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to raise the debt ceiling might trend in a more favorable direction.

What generally follows that expression is a succinct synopsis. We’re always trying to be concise;
however, distilling complex economic and investment matters usually requires several pages.

Could massive monetary support have softened the deep bear market many expected? It is an interesting question. Particularly given the Fed has hiked rates at one of the most aggressive paces in history.

HNW Americans need to be prepared for every contingency, including Democrats winning a trifecta of POTUS and majorities in both houses of Congress.

Factor investing has seen increased popularity in the US. Investors may also want to consider increasing their opportunity set by considering factors abroad.

When markets turn volatile, it’s not time to despair. Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute, offers some judicious perspectives on how to turn volatility into opportunity.

After embarking on a rapid tightening cycle in March 2022, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) appears poised to pause its interest rate hikes in the middle of this year.

Deep in the bowels of Wall Street, there’s a surprisingly successful counterfeiting operation underway: The world’s largest banks have created a booming business churning out imitation quant trades.

Credit conditions are tightening in both Europe and the United States. Our analysis follows in our mid-quarter update, Tightening Credit.

Advisors are looking ahead to the policy and tax changes impacting their high-net-worth clients. Those include changes stemming from the passage of Secure 2.0 Act.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key pillar of the digital transformation theme, which is driving significant disruption and spurring new growth. Grant Bowers, portfolio manager with Franklin Equity Group, offers a unique perspective of the challenges and benefits of this evolving and disruptive technology.

REITs are most often thought about as income-producing investments. Although this is generally a true statement, REITs can also be great builders of wealth if invested correctly. To invest in REITs correctly, it is imperative that the investor understand the true nature of the beast.

Parking your fixed-income assets in cash may seem like a safe choice in today’s volatile investing environment, but it’s actually a risky proposition. Here are three reasons why sitting on the sidelines can be a dangerous game.

Despite economic uncertainty, we see compelling value in high-quality, liquid assets that we view as more resilient in the face of a potential recession.

Markets are still facing uncertainties regarding the impact of the Federal Reserve’s aggressive rate hikes and quantitative tightening, a potential economic slowdown, and the likelihood of other unforeseen consequences of financial disintermediation.

It’s hard to open up a newspaper these days and not see a scary story about the debt ceiling debate. The Biden Administration is saying that a “default” is approaching if an agreement isn’t reached soon.

Tencent Holdings Ltd. posted its fastest pace of revenue growth in more than a year but earnings missed estimates, reflecting an uneven internet sector recovery during China’s post-pandemic reopening.

The Federal Reserve’s latest 0.25% interest-rate hike has likely capped one of its most aggressive policy-tightening cycles in 40 years. And the cumulative 5% policy rate increase in just over a year is now starting to have an effect on rate-sensitive sectors and inflation.

Rising rates in today's fixed-income markets have led to more attractive bond prices and higher yields, alleviating some of the challenges facing income investors.

Muni investors have more reasons for optimism than concern as California tackles a projected $31.5 billion budget deficit.

Every financial decision has a tax implication, and sufficient planning is not done until the taxes have been considered and reported correctly. Here are seven pitfalls advisors can avoid.

What's on the menu? Heading into a profits recession, there are many things to consider when building a portfolio. Here's a sneak peek at what we are serving up.

Profit margins have remained elevated in the U.S. for a decade, and in a new white paper, GMO’s James Montier examines why that has been the case, ultimately finding the culprit in fiscal deficits.

Doug Drabik discusses fixed-income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.

Many investment strategists are forecasting that the U.S. economy could experience a recession in the next year or two.

As the US economy begins to feel the weight of the Federal Reserve’s rate hikes, investors have grown leery of US high-yield corporate bonds. On the surface, that makes sense. Historically, credit conditions soured when growth slowed.

What is the number-one reported factor for a happy and fulfilling retirement?

While 92% of advisors who outsourced to AssetMark increased personal income, 66% of advisors say they don’t really understand turnkey asset management platforms (TAMPs) or know what role they should play in supporting their firm.

That’s exactly why we created our latest guide: “TAMPs: A Game-Changer for Your Practice.” Inside, we explore modern asset management solutions, the benefits of outsourcing asset management, and how financial advisors can get started with a turnkey platform.

Valkyrie’s Leah Wald offers perspective on the state of crypto ETFs and regulation, along with current crypto market dynamics. VettaFi’s Tom Hendrickson and LOGICLY’s Emil Tarazi discuss their recent partnership and highlight the surging interest in Treasury ETFs.