Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been growing in popularity, but if you’re considering investing in them, there are some key things you should know first.
Portfolio manager Michael Fredericks reflects on markets and investing to generate income while managing risk over the last decade.
We offer our view of the most significant outcomes from the UN Climate Change Conference.
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.
If your clients bought a bad Medicare policy, it was most likely because they used a bad insurance agent – or no agent at all! As the owner of a Medicare insurance agency, I will teach you how to find a good agent without trying to sell you on us!
Laden with giant companies, the S&P 500 may end up being a haven from wage pressures that have begun to sow anxiety among investors, research shows.
While the Fed notes valuations are elevated, the crucial message to investors gets obfuscated. From current valuation levels, the expected rate of return for investors over the next decade will be low.
As policymakers withdraw fiscal and monetary support, we believe market volatility will rise, presenting investment opportunities.
Investing is not a one size fits all process. Furthermore, risk should also be a major investor consideration. Importantly, risk is a multifaceted concept which I will attempt to convey throughout this video.
Renewed impetus behind China’s goal of “common prosperity” has raised concerns that Beijing plans a redistribution of wealth that could hurt growth and investment. The reality, however, is more nuanced—and a good deal more positive for China’s long-term growth ambitions.
The majority of the wealth in the U.S. is controlled by baby boomers. However, two rising trends in this dominant demographic are creating complications, not only for boomers and their advisors, but also for the children of boomers who constitute an increasingly vital current and future client group.
The sprawling Build Back Better Act contains a provision that would be transformative for a set of historically Black colleges and universities: tens of millions of dollars in annual long-term funding for scholarships.
I explored the first four of 12 lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy and financial markets in my previous column. Here are four more: greater use of telecommunications, a shift in preferred residences, more employee independence and an increased emphasis on online shopping.
October inflation figures were higher than expected. More troublesome, the range of items with higher inflation, relatively narrow in the spring, appears to be widening. Inflation expectations for the next five years have risen. Higher inflation is dampening consumer sentiment.
When your largest position, Viasat Inc. (Ticker: VSAT), enters into a transformational merger involving regulatory complexity, interesting technology, enough equity issuance to require a shareholder vote, and a conceptual doubling down against what might be called the “Elon Musk-generated low-earth-orbit satellites (LEO) space craze...
The global Covid-19 pandemic will have lasting effects on the U.S. economy and financial markets that investors should separate from ephemeral noise.
I hold every one of my clients accountable for doing what they say they're going to do – that's how they get the results they're after.
Inflation figures surprised to the upside. The Consumer Price Index rose 0.9% in October (+6.2% year over year), up 0.6% (+4.6% year over year) excluding food and energy. Gasoline rose 6.1% (+49.6% year over year). Used vehicle prices rose 2.5% (+26.4% year over year).
It’s no secret that pandemic-related government policy is driving at least some of the inflation currently being experienced in the United States. Indeed, real disposable income per capita has deviated from a linear trend in a meaningful way since 2020.
As investors and financial advisors approach the end of 2021 and consider their annual recalibration of portfolio mix for the coming year, they would be prudent to factor in some difficult economic realities that can no longer be ignored–that will alter stock and bond performance into and well past 2022.
As much as last year centered around the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the economy, the major topic of discussion in the financial markets this year has been centered around inflation, and its prospective impact on monetary policy.
The idea that growth and success can be achieved at the expense of clients, diluting the value they receive rather than deepen it, is a myth. If you follow the 10 shifts in this article, you will deliver deep value to clients and run an excellent practice that allows you to enjoy the ride and the rewards.
I am writing in the middle of a whirlwind week in New York. We are going to discuss what I’m learning, some takeaways from the conversations I’ve had, changes in my personal portfolio, and thoughts around the topic of the day: inflation. As well as a few random things that I have read this week. All delivered to you within my 3,000-word limit. Let’s jump in…
A look at the predictive prowess of treasuries in gauging the stickiness of inflation.
The bonds that held market expectations and central bank policies closely together during the COVID-era are starting to break. BlackRock's quant bond experts discuss the latest developments in inflation dynamics, liquidity in the financial system, and changes in China's policy reaction.
Economists are getting a dose of humility on forecasting inflation after a resurgent coronavirus, a tenuous global supply network and stimulus-fueled consumers combined to send U.S. prices well beyond the expectations of Wall Street and policy makers.
U.S. consumers are increasingly shopping at discount stores, a sign that families are feeling the pinch from highest inflation since the 1990s as the holiday season approaches.
After U.S. prices climbed by the most in three decades, there’s even worse news ahead for households and policy makers: Inflation likely has further to rise before it peaks.
Liz Ann Sonders shares her perspective on the U.S. stock market and economy in this monthly Market Snapshot video.
This year marks our seventh annual ESG manager survey. Our survey of active managers assesses the integration of ESG considerations in investment processes among equity, fixed income and private market managers and spotlights firmwide policies, use of data, engagement and integration.
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.
If you’re struggling to attract new clients, it’s because prospects have a difficult time differentiating you. Prospective clients face four realities that will overwhelm their decision-making process.
Achieving “net zero” by 2050 will require a shift in the global energy mix, from both a supply and consumption perspective. This has implications for portfolio allocations and alpha generation but there are diverse perspectives on the emergent risks and opportunities related to this shift.
Randy Dippell, a partner and advisor for AdvicePeriod in Chicago, describes how he uses Asset-Map to organize his clients’ financial affairs.
Speculative psychology is the only thing standing between an hypervalued market that continues to advance and a hypervalued market that drops like a rock. Our best gauge of that psychology - the uniformity of market internals - remains divergent enough to keep market conditions in a trap-door situation.
Transitory or not, the current inflation rate has many investors concerned. A look back in history can put today’s situation in perspective.
Interest rates were mixed in October, as shorter maturity yields rose while longer maturity yields fell. The dramatic flattening in the yield curve reflects the market expectation that the Fed will begin tapering its bond purchase program imminently and has pulled forward expectations for rate hikes once the taper is completed.
The benefits associated with exclusion-ratio taxation can be significant and should be considered when selecting the appropriate GLWB annuity for a non-qualified account.
As expected, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced it would begin reducing (“tapering”) the monthly pace of asset purchases – currently $120 billion – by $15 billion per month but could go faster or slower depending on economic conditions.
Retirement planning is complex and risk in retirement is real. To improve the confidence clients have in working with an advisor, you need to prepare them for changes in retirement and avoid the talk of probability of failure and success. Ongoing adjustment-based planning aligns clients’ perceptions of risk in retirement with reality. This often results in small course corrections with many retirees finding they can spend more than originally planned. My guest, Justin Fitzpatrick, is here to discuss new research and technology that helps advisors paint a more realistic picture of what retirement could look like and guides clients through retirement more successfully.
Economists are generally a “glass half empty” bunch. So while they cheered the U.S. Labor Department’s monthly jobs report on Friday, which showed the unemployment rate dipping to a pandemic-era low of 4.6%...
This is one of a series of interviews by Bloomberg Opinion columnists on how to solve the world’s most pressing policy challenges. It has been edited for length and clarity.
Homeowners are taking advantage of a global housing boom by pulling equity out of their homes at the highest volume since the financial crisis.
While an individual is working, taxes are primarily determined by their salary with only minor control by an advisor. However, once they transition into retirement, their advisor becomes a tax conductor, orchestrating timing and sourcing of cash flows and disbursals to maximize their safe, post-tax spending.
As with any headlines or sound bites from political figures, it's a good idea to dig deeper before you respond with outrage.
There are options emerging for retail investors seeking to invest in private equity like an institution.
As was widely expected, the Federal Open Market Committee announced the tapering of its monthly pace of asset purchases. The criteria for the lift-off in short-term interest rates is more stringent, but as Chair Powell admitted in his press conference, reaching full employment by the second half of next year is “certainly within the realm of possibility.”
When rates are rising, investors need portfolio protection. But it’s no time to sit idly in cash and wait things out. Every day spent on the sidelines means income and opportunities lost. A passive, set-it-and-forget-it investing approach isn’t ideal either. Buy-and-hold laddered portfolios tend to lock in low yields that disappoint if the market begins to offer more.
Fundamentally speaking, there are more than a few indications that 2022 earnings estimates are still overly exuberant. However, the bullish optimism currently supports rising stock prices.
Inflation is looking less and less “transitory,” and make no mistake: Transitioning to a zero-carbon energy mix as quickly as climate scientists are urging will be highly inflationary.
