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How Do Spending Needs Evolve During Retirement?
by Wade Pfau,
Most people's spending patterns change over the course of retirement - expenses look very different at 90 than they do at 65. Yet most research on retirement withdrawal rates relies on constant inflation-adjusted withdrawals to develop a client's forward-looking budget. Such an unrealistic, one-size-fits-all approach can be disastrous if a client inadvertently retires with insufficient savings. Is there a better way?
Concentrated Equity Triple Play Higher Returns, Lower Risk, Lower Correlations
Concentrating a portfolio on a few choice assets dramatically increases an investor's chance of superior performance. Nonetheless, most advisors and investors shun portfolio concentration as unacceptably risky. To a great extent, this is driven by the myth that adequate diversification is impossible unless one holds many stocks - a myth I will debunk.
The Ambergris Factor!
by Jeffrey Saut of Raymond James,
I had a meeting with two PMs from Switzerland that had 10 questions they wanted answered. 1. Would you buy cyclical stocks or defensive stocks? I would buy cyclicals because I dont believe we are going to see another recession in the U.S. for the near future. 2. 2011 was a risk on/risk off year, so is it a top down or bottom up strategy for 2012? Last year you only had to get two things right. You had to raise cash in March/April and put it back to work during the bottoming sequence of August October. One always needs to employ a bottom up strategy combined with a top down view.
The Gutenberg Economy
by Michael Lewitt,
As commentators near and far speculate on what 2012 will bring to the global economy and markets, there is little question that one factor will be decisive: the central banks' printing presses. Both the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank (ECB) will keep printing dollars and euros around the clock until their presses run out of ink.
Oil and Gasoline Prices Rise Again: How High and How Long?
by Team of American Century Investments,
One year ago, we wrote on the recent up-tick in crude oil and gasoline prices which was caused by turmoil and revolution in the Middle East. A year later, were experiencing a similar rise in crude and gasoline prices. Last week, the average national cost for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline was approximately $3.75 per gallon. One contributing factor has been the increase in tensions between Western countries (and Israel) with Iran over its continuing work to produce nuclear fuel which could be used in atomic weapons.
More Mixed
by Scott Brown of Raymond James,
The economic data reports have become more mixed. Growth is rarely even across time and industries, but the stock market often has a hard time with conflicting evidence. For Mr. Market, the economy has to be either booming or falling apart completely. Mild winter weather has clearly been a factor in the last few months, but unusual weather often merely shifts growth from one quarter to another. Last year, the economic gears were starting to catch, but gasoline rose from around $3 per gallon at the beginning of the year to $4 per gallon in early May. Are we in for a repeat?
U.S. Covered Bonds: Reassessing Credit Risk and Relative Valuations
We believe nominal spread analysis is insufficient, since investors must now consider recovery and default risk under various economic conditions.
Our factor-based approach provides a means to quantify default probabilities across a range of outcomes instead of analyst-defined ad hoc assumptions.
We also investigate historical CDS spreads as a means to quantify default risk relative to national home price appreciation.
The potential for an emerging U.S. issuer market, combined with ongoing foreign issuance, leads us to believe the U.S. covered bond market has viability.
2012: A year in US bonds
There are two new factors that came to the forefront in late 2011 and which are set to influence investments throughout 2012. Indeed, it appears the collective bond market had a series of epiphanies in Q3 that should frame investment activity for some time to come, and these factors are by no means isolated to the US. The first factor is the broad recognition that debt expansion will not be the large driver of economic growth as it has been for the past several decades. The second factor is that political policy pronouncements will often trump economic and credit fundamentals.
Jim O?Shaughnessy: What Now Works on Wall Street
by Katie Southwick,
Understanding the science of investing has been the lifelong passion of Jim O'Shaughnessy, whose 1996 book, What Works on Wall Street, was among the first to explain the benefits of quantitative, empirical methods. Now, with the hindsight of the two bear markets since, he has refined his approach - rejecting some of his original ideas in favor of improved ways to forecast market performance. His new and improved approach finds that a dividend-oriented global strategy is best in today's environment.
Evaluating Popular Recession Indicators
by Georg Vrba, P.E.,
Recessions are notoriously difficult to forecast. That, of course, hasn't stopped many high-profile analysts from predicting recessions in 2010 and 2011 - incorrectly, at least thus far. Given the wealth of often contradictory economic data that exists today on which to base such forecasts, this should come as little surprise. What's more surprising, however, is that they have based their predictions on models that were ill conceived and insufficiently tested.
Inflation Held in Check by Fear
by John Browne of Euro Pacific Capital,
Out of control money supply creates inflation. In light of the trillions of synthetic dollars that have been injected into the economy by the Fed over the past five years, most observers had expected prices to spiral upward. But in making these determinations, many of us forgot to factor in the supply side of the supply/demand equation. Inflation remains low now because of game changing events that have reduced the demand for money. So beware of the recovery. Any wakening of animal spirits in the U.S. will likely stir the threat of inflation, which may very well short-circuit the recovery.
?The Greatest Anomaly in Finance'
by Geoff Considine,
If I told you that there is an easy-to-exploit market anomaly that has enabled investors to consistently and substantially outperform the market with less risk for more than four decades, your first instinct might be to roll your eyes. After all, the unending quest to improve returns while lowering risk has yielded countless methods with initial promise that subsequently collapse under further scrutiny.
Why Target-Date Funds Fail
by Robert Huebscher,
New research explains why target-date funds have failed to meet investors' objectives. While most of the criticism has been directed to overly aggressive glide paths, that is merely a symptom of the underlying problem - the misalignment of incentives between investors and fund companies.
Lacy Hunt on the Roadblock to Recovery
by Robert Huebscher,
'The fundamental key to prosperity is not governmental financial transactions, or even private sector financial transactions,' according to Lacy Hunt, the widely respected economist at Hoisington Investment Management, with whom we spoke last week. 'The key to prosperity is the hard work and creativity of our individuals in businesses.'
Weekly Market Commentary
In recent discussions with clients, I have answered questions about good new versus bad news and short-term versus long-term probabilities. As my readers are aware, I have become increasingly bearish in my asset allocations, a factor which derives from a combination of very short-term information along with macro, secular data. In short, my analysis quantifies policies, valuations, and fundamentals which have dragged down the prospects for global earnings acceleration (in the near-term). Notice that I refer to these statistics as decelerators, not necessarily absolute impediments.
Preferred Securities Investment Commentary - December 2011
by Team of Cohen & Steers,
In terms of preferreds broad performance potential, we note that bond yields are at or near historic lows, and that the Federal Reserve is likely to hold interest rates steady until 2013. In such an environment, the income offered by preferreds (78% or more) will be hard to come by, likely resulting in good investor demand in the year ahead. At the same time, the high income these securities produce is also likely to continue to factor meaningfully into their total return and dampen returns volatility.
Must Bond Investors Fear Rising Interest Rates?
by Andy Martin,
Thirty-one years ago, in 1981, the one-year Treasury reached its all time high of 14%. Today it hovers around 0.10%. Never before have interest rates fallen so far. Many economists and investment advisors, seeing nowhere to go but up, expect interest rates to climb from these historic lows. But that would not be the catastrophe that many bond investors fear.
The Misreading of Reinhart and Rogoff
by Robert Huebscher,
If the cry for deficit reduction rests on an intellectual framework, it would be the work of Reinhart and Rogoff, whose book, This Time is Different, has been hailed for its historical study of financial crises. A key finding - that growth slows once the ratio of debt-to-GDP exceeds 90% - has been widely cited by those calling for decreased government spending. But those calling for deficit reduction have largely ignored a number of caveats that Reinhart and Rogoff gave with respect to their 90% threshold, and as a result many warn that the US faces a Greek-like sovereign-debt crisis.
Motivating Older Clients
by Dan Richards,
Two advisors recently reminded me of the subtle differences it takes to successfully work with older clients. Both provide the highest quality of advice and have regular client events to stay in front of their best clients. Two years ago, however, they were frustrated by the difficulty of getting older clients to attend those events - until each came up with a solution.
New Measures of Risk (and why markets are now very fragile)
by Adam Jared Apt,
Understanding risk is essential to successful investment management, yet most common measures, like beta, capture only risk within markets - disregarding systemic risk of the markets themselves. Fortunately, new research is now shining light on "fragility" or systemic risk - how fast and how severely an unanticipated event will propagate through the markets.
US Recession - An Opposing View
A large number of reputable analysts and companies are forecasting a new U.S recession on the immediate horizon. Attracting the most attention is ECRI, which made a public recession call on September 30th and several television reaffirmations since. But an examination of a broader range of other composite economic indicators shows that sole reliance on ECRI's forecast would be misplaced.
The Riches of Three Generations
by Robert J. Horrocks of Matthews Asia,
We have had the Great Leader and the Dear Leader. Now North Korea falls to the Great Successor. There is a Chinese proverb that says a family cannot stay wealthy for 3 generations. The wealth is made by the first, enjoyed by the second and squandered by the third. Will the same be true of power in North Korea following the death of Kim Jong Il? For the short term, the worries over leadership transition are likely to dominatethere is the potential for the new leader to want to demonstrate power, authority and dominance.The market reaction has already started to factor in this scenario.
Dennis Gartman Explains His Call on Gold
by Robert Huebscher,
Dennis Gartman has been publishing his daily commentary, The Gartman Letter, since 1987. He's been in the news lately because of a call he made last week on the price of gold. In this interview, he discusses the reasons behind that forecast.
Can this be Serious?
by Robert Huebscher,
Of the hundreds of investment books that we are asked to review, a recent one stood out for its utter audacity: '401(k) Day Trading: The Art of Cashing in on a Shaky Market in Minutes a Day,' by Richard Schmitt. The premise of this book is as preposterous as its title. But it raised two important questions, meriting this review.
GLWBs: Retiree Protection or Money Illusion?
by Wade Pfau,
One of the most popular variable annuity riders is the guaranteed lifetime withdrawal benefit (GLWB), which offers downside protection through lifetime income, upside potential with step-ups based on market performance, and minimal surrender penalties. But, examining historical data, I have found that those riders carry a cost that will not be readily apparent to retirees: their cash flows rapidly decrease on an inflation-adjusted basis.
Weekly Market Commentary
We yearn for improvement, yet do not wish to lower our standards of evaluation. Year-over-year uptrends are indeed showing some progress, but dont factor in the bigger issues of jobs loss, savings depletion, home and portfolio devaluation and most importantly the loss of innocence/confidence that our institutions know how to do it better and can help us to sustain enthusiasm for something better ahead.
The Quality Conundrum
We are witnessing the end of a remarkable and confounding era for stocks, best described by the 'quality conundrum' investors faced for much of the last two years. During that time the combined outperformance of low-quality stocks alongside the underperformance of high-quality stocks was unprecedented in the last 30 years. Now, we are embarking on an era where high-quality stocks will likely significantly outperform low-quality stocks, resolving this conundrum.
The Unspoken Truth about Hedge Funds
by Michael Edesess,
The popularity of the endowment model among advisors has been driven by the belief that hedge funds have produced positive risk-adjusted returns. But the basis for that notion has been statistics gleaned from hedge fund databases, and new research shows returns from those databases are even more upwardly biased than previously thought; the supposed alpha never really existed.
Are Corporate Balance Sheets Really the Strongest in History?
by John P. Hussman of Hussman Funds,
At an aggregate level, corporate balance sheets look reasonable, but are certainly not "stronger than they have ever been in history." Cash levels are elevated, but this is at best a second-order factor (with excess cash representing only a few percent of total assets), while debt remains near record levels relative to total assets and net worth.
With Rising Wages, Will China Remain a Manufacturing Hub?
In 2010, countries such as Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Germany depended on China for data processing, apparel, and iron and steel exports. Chinas largest import partners in 2010 were Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Germany and Australia. For those companies not already doing business in China, theres one dominant factor that shows they should start: the vast domestic market. Companies may be able to find a cheaper workforce in Bangladesh, India or Sri Lanka, but being located in China allows convenient access to what is rapidly becoming the worlds largest consumer market.
Michael Aronstein on Today's Key Macro Trends
by Robert Huebscher,
Michael Aronstein is the president and chief executive officer of Marketfield Asset Management. Since its inception in 2008, his fund has returned 31% while the S&P has been down 15%. I spoke with him about the key macroeconomic and strategic issues facing investors today.
A Better Way to do Financial Planning
by Robert Huebscher,
Simplicity is dangerous when it comes to financial planning. Easy-to-use tools that project your retirement savings based on minimal inputs such as your income and savings rate amount to a ?bait-and-switch,? according to Larry Kotlikoff, a Boston University professor of economics. To properly prepare for retirement, one should focus on maintaining a constant standard of living throughout their life ? what economists call consumption smoothing.
Libya, Ghaddafi and the Arab Spring
While the US and Europe have remained fixated on the simmering sovereign debt crisis in Euroland, the Arab world has been experiencing waves of demonstrations, protests and civil wars that have seen the fall of three major regimes thus far in 2011, with several others struggling to find equilibrium. The underlying forces behind the Arab Spring are complex and vary from country to country. But a key factor is demographics, as a glance at the population pyramids below suggests.
Market See-Saw Brings Us Back to April 2010 Double-Digit Third Quarter Losses Erase Previous Gains
by Ron Surz,
Stock markets around the world plummeted in the third quarter, with the US market losing 16% and foreign markets faring somewhat worse with 17% losses. This quarter's loss reverses the gains of the first quarter and brings year-to-date returns below water, with domestic markets losing 11% and foreign markets losing 13%.
The Adjusted Gold/XAU Ratio as an Indicator of Forward Returns for Gold Stocks
by Georg Vrba, P.E.,
While the recent bull market took gold prices to new highs, the prices of gold-mining companies lagged. Some claim those companies are now drastically undervalued, and we can investigate that claim by examining the relationship between gold and gold-mining prices.
The Impact of Uncertainty
by Teresa Kong of Matthews Asia,
While markets act like toddlers over the short term, what are the key drivers over the long term? The impact of the European crisis on global growth will be the key determining factor on market performance. Small, open economies such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan will likely be more greatly impacted. Countries with domestic consumption as large drivers of GDP, China, Indonesia and India, might be relatively sheltered due to their relatively large internal markets. While risk aversion may cause markets to overreact in the short term, we believe long-term structural growth should continue.
Fed Extends Maturities
Fed Notes-The TwistObservations and takeaways on the Fed's two day meeting this week.
Bank Bondsplus Extraordinary Calls on Trust Preferred SecuritiesWe elaborate on factors affecting the banking sector.
Obama Bill Questions Exemption on Muni bondsOur view on one piece of the job proposal presented by the Obama administration.
Liquidity- Ignore at Your PerilWe highlight some reasons why liquidity, especially in volatile markets, is an important investment factor.
The Great American Economic Lie
The idea that the economy has grown at roughly 5% since 1980 is a lie. In reality the economic growth of the U.S. has been declining rapidly over the past 30 years supported only by a massive push into deficit spending. From 1950-1980 the economy grew at an annualized rate of 7.7%. This was accomplished with a total credit market debt to GDP ratio of less than 150%. The CRITICAL factor to note is that economic growth was trending higher during this span, going from roughly 5% to a peak of nearly 15%. The end game of three decades of excess is upon us.
If Some Dare Call It Treason, Was Milton Friedman a Traitor?
by Paul Kasriel of Northern Trust,
The principal factor accounting for the current exceptionally weak economic recovery is not unusually high uncertainty, too burdensome regulation and taxation, excessive federal government spending and/or debt or a major structural change in the economy, but rather inadequate depository institution credit creation. The reason depository institutions are not creating normal amounts of credit is that they suffered enormous losses after the residential real estate bubble burst and they remain concerned about current and/or future capital adequacy.
Five Strategies for a Sideways Market
If this slow growth environment coupled with asset price volatility continues for (to steal a quote from Fed Chairman Bernanke) 'an extended period,' what additional portfolio strategies might aid the overall risk/return profile of investor portfolios? More specifically, how do you manage investments in a sideways market?
Matt Ridley Makes a Case for Optimism
Matt Ridley's new book, The Rational Optimist, uses powerful examples from history and compelling logic drawn from economic theory to remind us that human achievement is cumulative, and the future looks bright, particularly for the less fortunate in the world. It is especially welcome at this discouraging moment in time.
Warren Buffett Said Ignore Political and Economic Forecasts
by Julie Carnevale of F.A.S.T. Graphs,
This article is about casting a light of reason on the longer-term perspective, in contrast to what is typically an emotionally charged attitude about short-term volatility. It is human nature to judge the performance of our portfolios based on their closing stock price for any given day, week, month, or even quarter. The point we're trying to make here is that it is not the most important factor, unless you were actually planning to sell on the day you measure it. Otherwise, the intrinsic value derived from the operating results that you generate is more important than price volatility.
How Conservative Investing Threatens Retirement
by Dan Richards,
Just as the Great Depression left a generation with a poverty mentality that still persists, the two bear markets of the last 10 years risk shaped an entire generation's attitude to investing. That's a key finding from a survey of affluent Americans commissioned by Merrill Lynch and released earlier this year, and it raises important implications for how financial advisors should deal with conservatively-minded investors.
Can American Become Greece?
Investors face four possible implications from the recent downgrade of America's long-term credit rating by Standard & Poor's: 1) Lower prices for financial assets; 2) Higher volatility in the asset markets; 3) Greater potential for trend-following investment strategies, and 4) Attractive opportunities in 'blue chip' stocks.
Urbanization: Driving Commodity Demand
Increasing economic activity in emerging markets has continued to push up the demand and prices for key resources such as metals and oil. Infrastructure spending is a key factor driving this rising demand, as more of the working population in emerging markets move from rural areas to the cities, increasing consumption and putting upward pressure on both hard and soft commodities. Long-term commodity prices are likely to be driven by rising global demand as well as increasing costs to obtain these commodities.
Making Sense of Thursdays Violent Market Sell-Off
by Mohamed A. El-Erian of PIMCO,
Technical factors played a role in Thursday's unsettling market moves, including the disorderly across-the-board collapse in the price of risk assets in the final hour of trading and the related surge in U.S. Treasurys. But they were not the cause. Rather, they amplified three factors that will determine the fate of markets in the weeks ahead. First, it is now undeniable that the U.S. economy is weakening across the board. The second factor relates to confidence. Markets are worried that policymakers will not be able to put the economy back on the right path. And then there is Europe.
Seven Implications for the Coming Retirement Revolution
by Dan Richards,
Most advisors look to seniors as a core part of their client base. That's why it's essential to understand how boomers are going to transform retirement, just as they have redefined every other stage of their lives. Let's look at three new pieces of research and the seven implications they carry for retirement planning.
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