Margin debt is the amount of money an investor borrows from their broker via a margin account. Trading with a margin debt can magnify gains because an investor can benefit from the upside of any stock without having to invest 100%, resulting in greater profit. On the flip side, trading with margin debt can also exacerbate losses because if a stock's value were to depreciate, the investor may face a margin call and would need to come up with additional cash to reach the minimum requirement.
BlackRock Inc., fresh off a $28 billion deal spree to transform into a major player in alternative assets, is integrating complex private investments into its ready-made portfolios for individuals.
Fort Knox, home to much of the nation’s gold reserves, doesn’t get many visitors. That may soon change: President Donald Trump and his sidekick, Elon Musk, claim there’s a chance someone has stolen the shiny stuff. They want to visit and see it with their own eyes.
Electronic market makers like Citadel Securities LLC and Jane Street Group have been gobbling up market share from investment bank rivals, but to really get ahead they’ll need a helping hand. They might be about to get it from a surprising source: Some of those same banks.
Without a robust regulatory framework that incentivizes stablecoin issuers to register in the United States, stablecoin activity will migrate to countries with weaker rules, increasing the likelihood of financial instability. Fortunately, the US can still head off these risks and reap the technology’s benefits.
Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting at a Commonwealth conference. I love spending time and sharing ideas with our advisors. They are the best in the business.
As policy uncertainty grows, we consider how tariffs and other government actions might impact inflation, interest rates, and market sentiment.
Morale has taken a quick turn for the worse since the middle of February.
The stock market sell-off appears to be signaling a recession. However, we believe the bond market disagrees.
ETF Prime Host Nate Geraci is joined by Bloomberg’s Eric Balchunas, along with VettaFi’s Cinthia Murphy and Todd Rosenbluth, to spotlight the year’s most anticipated ETF event and discuss the industry’s hottest trends.
I suspect many people yawned when the popular online brokerage Robinhood Markets Inc. announced it will offer sports and other prediction market derivatives, starting with betting on the NCAA March Madness basketball games.
Recently I have realized that cryptocurrency might be something even bigger and stranger than currency. It is not just digital money; it’s a bet on the huge global demand for financial autonomy.
In today’s hyper-competitive environment, delivering an institutional-caliber portfolio isn’t just table stakes – it’s a fiduciary mandate that exceeds the scope of an individual advisor. Here is a checklist to help advisors evaluate whether their current approaches align with institutional best practices.
Though you may not agree with my view on all seven of these terms, it may be beneficial for you and your clients to at least consider them.
It has been an interesting correction. The average retail investor was “buying the dip” despite having an extremely bearish outlook.
Emerging markets offer the potential for long-term diversified investment returns but they can endure challenging periods of volatility and uncertainty. Head of Portfolio Strategy David Dali maps out the issues to consider when constructing and managing a portfolio for emerging markets.
It’s been a rough start to the year for US equity investors. Yet the volatility hasn’t been too far out of the ordinary in historical context.
With a name reflecting its expertise in smart indexing, Indexperts is carving out a balanced strategy that recognizes market realities.
Green bond issuers tend to excel at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, per a Bank for International Settlements study.
This article highlights several SimpleVisor tools we use to track sector and factor rotations. These models help us better forecast tomorrow’s possible rotations and try to stay a step ahead of the market.
Recently, downside-protected ETFs have garnered a lot of investor attention. These products are long the stock market – via different indexes – and use options to create downside-protected payoffs.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research Todd Rosenbluth talks about the American Century U.S. Quality Value ETF (VALQ) with Money Life host Chuck Jaffe. The pair covered a range of topics related to the fund, providing investors with a deeper understanding of the ETF.
For years now, way before artificial intelligence became the hot new thing on Wall Street, Daniel Mahr has been making money on stocks, courtesy of his machine-learning model.
The sense of gloom on Wall Street is putting pressure on some of the most committed backers of American exceptionalism: South Korea’s risk-seeking retail investors.
Despite NVIDIA’s stock flashing a bearish “death cross”—its 50-day moving average slipped below the 200-day moving average for the first time since January 2023—the energy at the conference was electrifying. Every major industry was represented, from health care to defense, signaling that artificial intelligence (AI) is expanding at a white-knuckle clip.
Last week's economic landscape was marked by pockets of resilience amid growing concerns and heightened uncertainty. Retail sales offered a mixed bag.
Despite recent pullbacks, history shows that periods of market fear often present opportunities, as seen with Amazon, Apple and Nvidia in past downturns.
Investment-grade floating-rate notes prices tend to be more stable than their fixed-rate counterparts, so they may be worth considering during periods of volatility.
The equity market tends to see a correction every 18 months. If it's not a recession-induced bear market, it may be a buying opportunity.
For the second meeting in a row, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decided to keep rates unchanged, leaving the Fed Funds trading range at 4.25%–4.50%.
Hear firsthand how financial advisors are leveraging these strategies to safeguard portfolios from market volatility and protect their gains. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights and stay ahead of the curve.
US Treasuries consolidated gains in a choppy trading session with markets remaining confident that policymakers at the Federal Reserve are still on a path toward lower interest rates.
The US stock market is on edge. The S&P 500’s recent 10% correction has investors worried, though a highly uncertain policy environment and an unusually top-heavy market obscure just what is spooking stocks.
he central bank made a technical move on the balance sheet, reducing the pace of permitted runoff in its Treasury holdings from $25 to $5 billion per month.
Despite the increase in policy uncertainty, the Federal Reserve held its forecast steady at the March FOMC meeting with two rate cuts projected in 2025.
Citigroup Inc. had what looked like the perfect way to grab a slice of the money flowing from wealthy individuals to private equity firms: playing matchmaker between its rich clients and an up-and-coming firm.
The Federal Reserve held rates steady today, but downgraded the outlook for economic growth in the year ahead. Policy changes in Washington, looming tariffs, and a cautious consumer have made “uncertainty” the new favorite word in the Fed’s vocabulary.
It's been full steam ahead for active ETFs, with total assets now rapidly approaching the $1 trillion milestone.
Tariffs among developed countries could mean emerging market (EM) assets like bonds could garner interest.
Nvidia Corp. aims to spend several hundred billion dollars to procure US-made chips and electronics over the next four years, the Financial Times reported.
EQT AB will return $5.4 billion to investors this week after completing the sale of a stake in Nord Anglia Education Ltd., marking one of the most profitable recent private equity exits in Asia, people familiar with the matter said.
After years of poor decision-making, the federal government’s $1.64 trillion student loan program is in critical condition. Congress needs to stanch the bleeding — and give serious thought to overhauling this flawed system for the longer term.
On the predictable side, the Fed kept policy rates in a range of 4.25%-4.5%, and the rate-setting committee pledged to slow the pace at which it’s allowing securities to roll off its balance sheet.
Human stupidity is the one thing you can rely on in financial markets. I recently read a great piece by Joe Wiggins at Behavioral Investment, which discusses why “Investing is hard.”
In the understatement of 2025 thus far, the headlines emanating from Washington, D.C., have been fast and furious. Whether they be tariff-related, involving federal government cuts or geopolitical in nature, there has been a headline for many facets that investors could think of.
European equities have started 2025 on a positive note. Several factors could help support the market overcome challenging conditions.
GMO has posted a new 7-Year asset class forecast as of February 28, 2025.
Receiving an unexpected gift or inheritance is something that people may dream about. Our Bill Cass discusses some key considerations if that dream becomes reality and you do receive a financial windfall.
A creative look at the parallels between March Madness and the bond market.
On March 11, Russell Investments hosted a webinar examining the challenges and opportunities presented by alternative diversifiers, including strategies for incorporating these solutions into portfolios.
