What once looked overzealous now appears prudent. Central banks that moved early to pare back stimulus and hike interest rates may have made the right call after all.
For the first time in four years, venture investors are backing more crypto and blockchain startups in the U.S. than they are in Asia—a sign that China’s crackdown on alternative currencies has chilled the country’s upstart industry.
Though the equity markets likely will experience some volatility, the outlook for economic growth remains positive: above-average growth should lead to above-average earnings growth for companies in 2022.
Oil in New York slid more than 5% after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the strong U.S. economy may warrant ending the central bank’s asset purchases sooner than planned next year.
Bear with us as (no pun intended) you read this longer-than-usual outlook!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving full of family, love and laughter! Even if that wasn’t your experience, there’s still much to be grateful for.
Bankers are repackaging everything from fast food franchises to fitness-center fees into bonds at the fastest clip since the global financial crisis as investors chase yield and inflation protection.
Global initial public offerings have smashed their previous record this year, propelled by a blank-check boom and companies cashing in on high valuations.
The average cost of a typical holiday feast has increased 14% compared to Thanksgiving last. The price of the turkey alone is up 24%, which is nearly four times the official inflation rate.
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.
Increasing regulation and stress in the property sector have led to lowering expectations for Chinese economic growth in 2022. Could the global economy be impacted as well?
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.
Gold performed as expected this week following a monster CPI report that showed inflation skyrocketing 6.2% in October. The yellow metal broke out of its downward trend going back to August 2020, when it hit its all-time high of $2,073.
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.
In our latest Q&A, we explore China’s pledges, progress toward Carbon Neutrality and implication for investors.
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.
Supply-chain jams are leading to congestion at ports around the world, keeping prices elevated.
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.
How do managers in the emerging markets, global/international, Asia and China equities spaces feel about the market’s reaction to events in China? Here's what our recent survey reveals.
For the better part of a decade, credit investors like David Sherman have been waiting for the market to come back down to earth.
Young, educated, tech-savvy and consumption-ready populations have long been key to economic growth. What economists, business strategists and investors should note is the outsized surge in these metrics for Asia today. Calling it a “swelling middle class” may be an understatement.
Digital-asset companies are pushing back against claims of excessive energy usage in the cryptocurrency sector as world leaders flock to Glasgow this week for key climate change talks.
These “perfect storm” disruptions have created numerous headaches for shipping and logistics companies. But as is often the case, bad news is good news, especially for investors who have seen shares of container lines surge in the 18 months since the pandemic began.
The fiscal and monetary policy responses to the Covid-19 shock aided demand and allowed for a v-shaped economic recovery starting in 2020. Further fiscal stimulus boosting demand in 2021 were met with supply shocks, bringing US and EU inflation to the highest levels since 2008. Emerging Markets (EM) experienced some inflationary pressures, albeit much more modest than Developed Markets (DM).
Cotton futures rose, heading for a fifth straight monthly gain propelled by tight supplies in top shipper U.S. and signs of fresh harvest delays amid strong Asian demand.
Robert Horrocks, PhD, discusses how he navigates and invests in a challenging environment, especially in China amid recent regulatory actions.
China steals a lot of the limelight in Asia, but there are two other major economies in the region: India and Japan. This interactive webinar will going to take a look at the investment opportunities for these two, very different, but influential Asian markets with portfolio managers James Thom of The India Fund, Inc. (Ticker: IFN) and Kwok Chern-Yeh of The Aberdeen Japan Equity Fund (Ticker: JEQ). Join us and learn more about how exposure to India and Japan can help enhance a diversified investment portfolio.
Performance highlights from the third quarter of 2021, plus manager expectations for the final months of the year.
The bond market’s age-old measure of growth is flashing an ominous warning as the world’s central banks move closer to boosting interest rates from near record lows.
The Western world’s biggest oil companies likely just generated more cash than at any time since the Great Recession, and investors are about to find out what they’ll do with it.
In this issue of Sinology, we explain why it is unlikely that the recent regulatory crackdown is Chinese Party chief Xi Jinping’s attempt to roll back China’s private sector.
Global themes we are tracking: public health, de-globalization, policy retreat, technology and the East and West divide.
John Vail, Chief Global Strategist at Nikko Asset Management, takes a deep dive into the firm’s 12-month outlook for the global economic recovery, and explains where he is finding the greatest investment opportunities.
Now nearly anyone will be able to convert their loose change into Bitcoin at their neighborhood Walmart. This week, it was being reported that Walmart quietly began installing special Coinstar machines at select locations that give customers the option to buy Bitcoin.
Interest rates are rising, and bond investors are worried about the potential impact on their portfolios. But they’re not entirely at the mercy of the markets.
Three transformative trends will lead the world into a radically different macro environment over the secular horizon. Read our long-term outlook and implications to consider when investing.
After beginning the quarter on a relatively upbeat note, familiar themes returned as fears of inflation, ambiguity over the end of the pandemic, and uncertainty about the future of Chinese capitalism raised concerns for investors.
We touch on several bases today as we often do. We begin with the Fed which decided to start reducing its monthly purchases of Treasury bonds and mortgage-backed securities in November. This was not a surprise.
Look forward to moderating inflation, 2% to 3% growth and full employment in 2022, according to Ben Bernanke.
Demand is so strong for green bonds, or debt that funds environmentally friendly projects, that investors are accepting lower yields for securities that are harder to trade, according to Barclays Plc.
While the surge in gas prices seems to have surprised the market, it’s been more than nine months in the making. Ryan McGrail discusses the factors behind the surge and what could happen next.
We have announced our Venerated Voices™ awards for commentaries published in Q3 2021.
We’re all familiar with inflation. But did you know there’s another form of inflation that’s just as corrosive on our purchasing power and yet is nearly impossible to measure? Read on to learn more.
It’s taken just a few short months for stagflation to go from hobgoblin of cranks to a full-blown Wall Street obsession.
With the internet becoming increasingly affordable and accessible, billions of people in the developing world are now leapfrogging traditional consumption patterns and starting to consume online for the first time. The result of this rising middle-class consumer wave has transformed economies and produced new internet giants equal to or larger than their U.S. counterparts. While the Emerging Market internet and ecommerce story has been largely focused on China thus far, the story is evolving and accelerating to companies and consumers in India, Southeast Asia, South America and Africa. Kevin will delve into the greater influence of this new consumer wave and the fundamental changes taking place in developing economies beyond China, their preference for online services and shopping via the smartphone and how Gen-Z will drive the next wave of this growing digital revolution.
The rise of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing is nothing short of extraordinary, according to Yu Meng, Chair of Asia Pacific at Franklin Templeton. As we are constantly reminded by extreme climate change events, he says urgent actions are required from all of parts of society and the economy, including the financial markets.
Just because pandemic inflation is transitory doesn’t mean it’s going away anytime soon.
Several events will have major influences on the global economy in the months ahead.
There are a few important lessons that every aspiring entrepreneur should know.
