Energy

Now that the Fed has officially stopped referring to inflation as “transitory,” the question is whether they can bring it under control without slowing the economy. In our view, they have the right tools – reducing the balance sheet and raising the fed funds rate – they just need to trust their data and keep a steady hand on the wheel.

Few inventions have touched so many lives as the container.

Loomis Sayles' Emerging Markets Debt Sector Team share their views on key themes in 2022.

The year ended on a highly upbeat tone for investors as equities rose to new heights against a backdrop of inflation and a prolonged pandemic

First, I am going to cover Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) that I inadvertently left out of my last video.

The global macro environment is ripe for EM assets outperformance as a combination of stronger growth in China, the end of exceptionalism in the US and less uncertainty on US interest rates, lead to a strong backdrop for EM assets.

Uncertainty has become an ongoing theme in markets, economies, and communities everywhere, and in this environment, PIMCO investment professionals gathered – virtually, once again – for our recent Cyclical Forum.

January market trends historically set the direction for the full year per his title “As January Goes”. Well, so far, not so good!

Twenty-two years of tradition dictate I begin the new year by forecasting what lies ahead.

Every year around this time, we update our always-popular Periodic Table of Commodities Returns.

With both the pandemic and inflation proving longer lasting than many had anticipated, what does that mean for central bank policy in the months ahead?

Every year has plenty of lessons when looking backward in December.

If you have read the Absolute Return Letter for years, you will be aware that the January letter always stands out from the others.

What can investors expect this year? Above-trend economic growth, at least two interest rate hikes and continued earnings strength among technology stocks, says Raymond James CIO Larry Adam.

The year ended on a high note for the Dow and S&P 500 despite economic challenges posed by the coronavirus and extreme weather events.

In 2021, readers of the Investor Alert and Frank Talk were most interested in stories on gold mining, precious metals, natural resources and emerging markets (no surprise). But there was also interest in macroeconomic topics (inflation, mostly) as well as Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.

Although major economies and markets fared well in 2021 despite all of the uncertainties surrounding new variants of the coronavirus, 2022 will bring new challenges. In addition to central banks shifting toward policy normalization, geopolitical and systemic risks are multiplying.

We can phase out fossil fuels like coal and natural gas, but we can’t phase out the metals and minerals necessary to build additional renewable energy projects.

Despite the strong year for stocks in 2021, markets have confidently priced in some negative trends gathering more momentum in 2022 which may help markets, should trends reverse.

We hope you enjoy the latest newsletter from Harold Evensky.

Rick Rieder and team identify 11 themes that could drive returns in 2022, as the greatest monetary experiment since the advent of flat currency enters its next phase.

The semiconductor shortage and its impact on everything from autos to smartphone production has been much in the news. The shortage has been a boon for semiconductor stock prices. But it likely will resolve itself in the coming months—or years, depending on whom you talk to—raising the specter of a bust.

For most Americans under the age of 50, inflation has never been much of an issue. Yes, prices rose a little every year but that was considered normal. Price increases of 1-2% a year for most goods and services were to be expected.

CIO Robert Horrocks, PhD, sees fascinating and surprising investment opportunities arising in the emerging markets and China next year. Fed actions to manage inflation and the ongoing challenges of the pandemic will be important factors but the performance of markets may ultimately depend on the success of well-managed companies in key sectors.

We see attractive investment opportunities in California’s cap-and-trade carbon emissions market.

From 30,000 feet, the COVID lockdown and re-opening played out pretty much like we thought.

The metaverse is part of the next iteration of the internet some are calling Web 3.0—and it promises to upend everything as we know it.

As expected, the Federal Open Market Committee accelerated the reduction (“tapering”) of its monthly asset purchases (now expected to end in March rather than June). The policy statement indicated that “job gains have been solid in recent months and the unemployment rate has declined substantially.”

As the end of 2021 draws near, investors are pleased with the impressive performance posted by most asset classes, but we are still awaiting the transition to the endemic state of the virus.

Some of the market’s recent pressures are showing signs of easing.

PIMCO’s Global Advisory Board discusses the longer-term outlook for macro trends and major economies.

Private markets can help to future-proof your portfolio through responsible investing. Samantha Steele, director, private markets, dives into the main trends and challenges that investors should consider.

Insights from Franklin Templeton specialist investment managers Brandywine Global, Clarion Partners, ClearBridge Investments and Western Asset

The vast majority of people who read my letter are investors. As such, most are at least somewhat familiar with the stock market.

2021 has been a year of notable economic growth after unexpected change caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In our Economic and Market Outlook for 2022, we lay out some of the “known unknowns” we believe could significantly affect the investing landscape...

While the Fed has now dropped "transitory" from their communications, the US and global economies might indeed be in a transitory state, and the important investment question is transitioning to what? It seems highly unlikely the economy will return to its pre-pandemic state. In our year ahead outlook report, we highlight our views on the best investment opportunities for 2022, given our analysis of an economic transition during the coming year.

As China seeks to achieve “Common Prosperity,” companies which are aligned with the latest policy guidance stand to gain.

The United Nations Glasgow Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, concluded in November with 200 nations signing the Glasgow Climate Pact (GCP), an agreement that could accelerate climate action and drive big carbon cuts.

Commodities, by virtue of their fungibility and broad uses, have infiltrated nearly every facet of human life, making the world enormously reliant on their ready availability.

There are a number of key investment themes for 2022 I feel most people would agree on. Below are just a handful.

For India and China, 2021 is a tale of two equity markets. But when it comes to energy—particularly coal-generated electricity—the two countries are remarkably similar. Liqian Ren discusses the potential impact of this reliance on India and China’s economic growth.

As investors and companies increasingly seek to address the risks of climate change, there is growing debate about the use of carbon offsets in achieving net-zero emissions. We think there’s room for a measure of offsets to achieve carbon neutrality, provided best practices are followed.

The Fed’s monetary policy has screwed Americans. Such is the basic premise of a recent Washington Times article discussing inflation.