Private credit firms are seeing an opportunity to finance everything from public transit systems to local utilities as the federal government and banks pull back on funding.
Given the headwinds Target has faced this year, many advisors were not expecting to hear good news at the retailer’s latest earnings call.
Though silver has been quiet lately, it’s important to be aware of the many bullish factors that are setting the stage for a strong move higher.
Someday, the dollar will cease to be the world’s reserve currency. But don’t hold your breath waiting; there is nothing even close to being able to take its role.
As AI capabilities continue to advance, we can expect even more sophisticated financial planning tools to become accessible to the average person, potentially improving retirement outcomes for many.
Direct indexing has been in the news a lot more in recent years. Larger industry players have strategically acquired a number of providers—including Parametric. And many new entrants have entered the space, looking to build on its success.
The market narrative appears to change on a dime these days. Stocks may have staged a comeback to recoup almost all their post-“Liberation Day” losses. But the bottom line on the fixed income market hasn’t changed all that much.
As one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds warned this week that private equity is “very troubled” right now, a spate of recent buyout deals in Europe and the US points to a possible route out of the mire.
Best-in-class OCIO providers understand the importance of a deep relationship and will invest considerable time cultivating one.
The retailers are closing out the season in their usual fashion, but the early results have been mixed as they deal with headwinds ranging from a softening US consumer to impending tariffs.
As investors, we need to step back and examine the history of previous debt downgrades and their outcomes for the stock and bond markets. Let’s start with what Moody’s rating agency stated about its rating change.
Tidal’s Mike Venuto discusses the latest in ETF innovation, from 351 conversions and the ETF share class structure to options-based strategies and leveraged products. VettaFi’s Kirsten Chang offers a tour around the world of fixed income ETFs, highlighting recent flows, new launches, and under-the-radar success stories.
Alphabet Inc.’s investors are looking to this week’s developer conference to see if the company can reset the narrative amid fears that its long-standing market dominance is on shaky ground.
The 60/40 approach has not been what it was just a few years ago. Fortunately, there are alternatives.
Moody’s Friday downgrade of the U.S. credit rating may not seem particularly earthshaking, given that Fitch and Standard & Poor’s had gotten there quite a while ago.
President Donald Trump’s first overseas trip since returning to the White House is turning heads across the aerospace & defense and semiconductor industries.
Imagine an institutional investor that allocates a big chunk of its portfolio to illiquid private assets but then needs to sell some of those investments to raise cash. Or a fund company that makes a fortune on actively managed mutual funds for decades, but its investors move their money to low-cost index trackers.
Macroeconomic and structural trends are finally moving in favor of emerging local currency bonds, after recent setbacks.
Recent revisions to the IMF’s World Economic Outlook reflect a sobering message: the world economy is entering a more volatile and fragmented era.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research, Todd Rosenbluth, discussed the Thornburg International Equity ETF (TXUE) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
The shareholder meeting began to be streamed about ten years ago, but that has had no impact on attendance. This is one reason why I think Buffett is at peace with the idea of no longer presiding at the meeting – people will still come to Omaha the weekend before Mother’s Day.
Given the recent market volatility and the possibility of an adverse wealth effect, it's worth quantifying the relationship between stock returns and economic activity.
Don’t allow your middle-aged clients depending on their 401(k) plan to fool themselves. Markets can’t rescue a failure to save until it hurts. And don’t let them kid themselves that a smoother ride with bonds won’t come at the cost of increased shortfall risk.
Fisher Investments recently wrote an interesting article asking whether corporate stock buybacks affect markets.
US stocks delivered their second-best weekly gain of the year on Friday, as Big Tech fueled a rally that brought the S&P 500 Index closer to an all-time high set nearly three months ago.
Long-dated Treasuries fell on Monday as investor attention turned to the US’ ballooning debt after Moody’s Ratings stripped the nation of its last top credit rating.
Wall Street’s emerging-market faithful are finally seeing better returns after missing out for years as US stocks soared.
In a speech Thursday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hinted that the central bank’s five-year framework review will focus on the particulars of its maximum employment and stable price goals, as well as efforts to communicate clearly with the public.
If only Europe could offer property investors the kind of buffet the US provides. For now, its listed real estate sector is fragmented and dysfunctional, the raison d’etre seemingly to create cheap takeover targets for buyout firms.
The 90-day reduction on tariffs between the US and China is a positive development, but some questions remain.
So far in 2025, markets have had plenty to absorb: the Trump administration’s tariffs, Germany’s latest investment commitments, the implications of the DeepSeek moment, and escalating military conflicts (now including one on the India-Pakistan border).
After a brief reprieve from all the recession talk while the Fed was raising rates to decades-old high watermarks, the ‘R’ word has come back into vogue once again post-Liberation day.
Keeping your financial plan aligned with your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon.
When volatility ripped through markets last month, many investors scrambled to respond. Some wanted to quickly adjust specific security exposures. Others wanted to flee to cash or build in protection against additional downside moves. And some rushed to buy the dip.
Are you trying to grow a stable team of advisors and retain top talent? Young advisors are looking for RIA firms that offer remote work flexibility, a clear path toward advancement and role transparency.
Commonwealth Financial Network®, a national RIA dedicated to providing financial advisors with holistic, integrated business solutions, has initiated a new partnership with Messina College, a two-year, all-residential degree program of Boston College that welcomed its first-ever class of students to the school’s Brookline Campus last summer.
Companies are launching a number of debt deals designed to pay out a dividend to their private equity owners, at a time when buyout firms are under pressure to return money to clients.
The roller coaster continues! A stronger than expected first quarter earnings season and encouraging signs on the trade front—highlighted by the US-UK trade deal—helped lift the S&P 500 from its April 8 near-bear market lows, reversing nearly all post-Liberation Day (April 2) losses.
China and the U.S. conducted their first formal trade talks of 2025 over the weekend. And on Monday, May 12, they announced the outcome of their negotiations.
For my entire decades-long career in capital markets, I’ve made the case that gold is not just a shiny relic of the past, but a serious, strategic asset for modern investors. After years of pounding the table, it feels pretty good to say that the world’s central banks—and now the U.S. banking system—are finally catching up.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research, Todd Rosenbluth, discussed the Unlimited HFGM Global Macro ETF (HFGM) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF overall.
As April’s volatility storm fades into memory, traders are left balancing calmer markets and the ever-present risk of a fresh round of headline shocks.
A KKR & Co. debt sale shows how far Wall Street is willing to go to keep leveraged underwriting business from slipping away to private credit after periods of turmoil.
I’ve been writing about tariffs for a couple of months now, focusing mostly on the macroeconomic harm and the costs they impose on small businesses. Today I want to consider something else: the new risks they are adding to the financial system alongside the old risks.
While coming in much stronger than expected, the latest employment data confirmed what we already suspected: the economy is slowing.
As the effects of US import tariffs begin to emerge, we shift our stance on equities to underweight.
US equity investors will be watching closely as trade talks kick off between the Trump administration and China, with trillions of dollars hanging in the balance for American companies.
Currently, the Three Tactical Rules are a “flashing yellow light” - a roughly neutral rating which represents a slight downgrade.
After entering the year with a cautious outlook, managers have become more defensively postured as the U.S. tariff policy has increased uncertainty.
Market headlines may change daily, but the role of a financial advisor remains remarkably consistent: to be the calm in the storm, the strategist with a plan and—most importantly—the voice of reason when clients need it most.
