A record-busting stock market has done little for the prospects of most middle- and working-class Americans, who are falling behind as the labor market stalls and prices rise for the essentials. The way out of the hiring rut is significantly lower borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, but these have the potential to stoke painful inflation once again.
At BlackRock Inc., PGIM and other Wall Street firms, bond-fund managers are sticking to trades that will likely pay off even if the Federal Reserve’s path is again knocked off course by surprising turns in the economy.
Gold powered to a record in the week’s opening session after flows into exchange-traded funds hit a three-year high, with investors betting that the Federal Reserve’s rate-cutting cycle has further to run. Silver also rose, with year-to-date gains topping 50%.
I am growing more and more convinced that we simply can’t rely on historical precedents anymore. Economics is about human decisions, and humans, at least in a broad sense, seem to be making decisions differently than they did before the pandemic. I think we don’t fully understand how much has changed—for employment, inflation, consumer behavior, and more.
Senior Investment Strategist and Head of Canadian Strategy, BeiChen Lin, unpacked the latest rate decisions from major central banks. He also assessed the health of the U.S. housing market and potential opportunities in listed real estate.
From the lack of conviction in the previous meetings to last week’s “risk management cut,” Federal Reserve (Fed) officials continue to walk a very fine line, hoping for the effects of tariffs to be transitory.
Growth and income funds have a dual mandate to target both capital appreciation and current income, typically generated through dividends or interest payments.
ClearBridge Investments believes accelerating policy-driven investment and AI-driven data center growth are unlocking a multi-decade growth opportunity for listed utilities globally.
As regional misalignments risk significant performance deviations amid trade uncertainty, let’s look at how overlay management can potentially help to guide global equity portfolios.
Investors must know how to navigate the current fixed-income environment in which the Fed is easing monetary policy, and how best to maximize cash as opposed to letting it sit idly by on the sidelines.
The Federal Reserve’s September meeting may be remembered less for the modest quarter-point cut it delivered and more for what it revealed about the state of the institution itself.
The US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) recent interest-rate cut is a shift in monetary policy that could signal a change in how retirement plan sponsors view capital preservation strategies.
The U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) cut interest rates by 0.25% today in a decision widely expected by investors. More notably, the central bank’s forecasts reveal a committee starkly divided on the path forward for rates.
For years, private credit firms have focused on financing private equity buyouts or closely held companies that had limited access to capital. Now, they are zeroing in on their next frontier: Large public companies that want to diversify their funding mix.
Vanguard continues to bolster its active ETF lineup with a new, high yield fund — the Vanguard High-Yield Active ETF (VGHY). It’s the first high yield active ETF from Vanguard, bringing their current active ETF roster to nine funds.
Hearts, Minds & Wallets: The Thin Book That Closes Gigantic Deals, a profound new book from Jennifer Morgan, presents itself as a practical guide for professionals to communicate more effectively. As it says on the tin, it is a thin book that provides effective ideas and methodologies for closing deals. However, its true value transcends that because it is about so much more.
The Federal Reserve resumed its rate-cutting cycle at the September meeting, lowering its policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to a range of 4%–4.25%, after being on hold since its previous cut in December. The Fed also signaled a less restrictive stance to come amid mounting labor m
Labor concerns and persistent inflation have the Fed penciling in up to two additional cuts by the end of 2025.
Something unusual is happening in shareholder activism. The grandmaster of the craft, Elliott Investment Management, has set out a strategy to push shares in US consumer icon PepsiCo Inc. up 50%.
Advisors and investors aren’t the only ones looking to pick up exposure to bitcoin these days. Even the most old-school and traditional firms on the market are starting to consider building exposure to the cryptocurrency.
The median household is the statistical center of the Middle Class. Let's take a closer look at the Census Bureau's latest annual household income data with a focus on middle class income. In this update, we'll focus on the growing gap between the median (middle) and mean (average) household incomes across the complete time frame of the Census Bureau's annual reporting from 1867 to 2024.
A call between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is underway, in a discussion that promises to determine the fate of TikTok — and potentially ease trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
Talking to the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently, Altman, the chief executive officer and co-founder of Open AI, was only half-joking when he said he hadn’t “had a good night’s sleep since ChatGPT launched” in November 2022.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission cleared the way for the first exchange-traded fund bundling a basket of cryptocurrencies, marking a breakthrough for the industry after a swath of approvals largely limited to Bitcoin and Ether.
The Fed lowered rates by a quarter of a percentage point (0.25%) at its September meeting, citing increased risks to employment; Powell emphasized ongoing inflation and a divided Committee, with future moves dependent on incoming data.
What is the relationship between education and household income? The Census Bureau’s 2024 annual survey data provides valuable insights into this question. The median household income for individuals aged 25 and older was $85,580, but how does this figure vary based on educational attainment?
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) solidifies the current tax rate schedule, introduces new tax changes for individuals and businesses, and offers opportunities tax-smart strategies. Our Bill Cass shares some planning considerations for 2025 and beyond.
Target date funds represent the investment industry's best thinking about how people should invest for retirement.
Blended finance has the potential to transform overlooked markets into investable opportunities.
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates today by 25 basis points (bps), following months of speculation about inflation, politics, and economic data.
The Federal Reserve cut rates by 0.25% today, citing a rising risk to the employment side of their dual mandate. While that was no surprise, there were many questions on where the Fed would go from here, and what it would take to accelerate or slow the pace of policy adjustment.
The summary of economic projections and “dot plot” that reveals where members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) expect the economy and rates to go in coming years will be interesting given the recent slowdown in job growth and relatively little upward pressure on inflation.
Although the Fed does focus on its dual mandate of employment and inflation, there is no question that the primary focus right now is on the employment side of the equation, especially given the recent stalling out in new job creation.
As expected, the Federal Reserve cut its short-term interest rate, citing concerns about slowing job growth. Where Fed policy goes from here is less clear.
Apollo Global Management Inc. is set to use a rare structure to raise $10 billion from insurers, people with knowledge of the matter said, in the latest illustration of the increasing ties between private capital and annuity providers.
This symposium brings the brightest minds in the ETF and mutual fund industry together for panel discussions spanning nine critical fixed income topics.
The first and largest MLP ETF hit a key anniversary. Learn why this ETF stands out in a crowded market.
Nvidia Corp. agreed to invest $5 billion in Intel Corp. and said the two will co-develop chips for PCs and data centers, a surprise move to help prop up an ailing archrival that sent Intel shares soaring.
Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize healthcare. Its headline-grabbing potential in drug discovery is still years from materializing. However, its impact is already tangible in diagnostics and treatment selection. Leading this immediate charge is Tempus AI, a company focused on structuring the complex data needed to make personalized patient care a reality.
The U.S. Federal Reserve today implemented an interest rate cut of 25 basis points. The question remains: Just how aggressive will they be the rest of the year and beyond? That may cause anxiety for fixed income investors who have long been accustomed to higher yields in an environment of persistent, sticky inflation.
EQT AB is considering a US initial public offering of waste management firm Reworld that could raise $1 billion or more, according to people familiar with the matter.
Wall Street took profits in high flying technology stocks on Wednesday, rotating into cheaper corners of the market after the Federal Reserve delivered a widely expected interest rate cut under what Chair Jerome Powell described as an “unusual” situation of emerging labor-market weakness while inflation remains elevated.
The world’s largest publicly listed hedge fund is breaking ranks with tradition — and stepping into the ETF arena under its own name.
Over the last decade many of those advantages have been eroded. Pounding the pavement, smiling and dialing were no longer necessary. Because those hard-earned insights were being emailed, tweeted, livestreamed, YouTubed, podcasted and more.
For as long as I can remember, institutional investors have been hailed the “smart money” and retail investors derided as rubes.
In our last discussion, we spent some time reviewing the use of tariffs in the 19th century. Since contemporary discussions of tariffs usually begin and end with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, there is a tendency to view tariffs myopically through the lens of the Great Depression.
The S&P 500 is often recommended as the default choice for individual investors. While it has delivered strong long-term results, today’s valuations and concentration raise important questions about whether it suits every investor’s goals.
One question we’ve been fielding quite a bit of late is what do you think the Treasury (UST) yield curve will do?
In recent years, pension funded status has markedly improved, with average funded ratios surpassing 100%.
