The construction of data centers has come to define the US economic narrative of 2024 and 2025. This unprecedented buildout reflects the urgent need to adapt national infrastructure to the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI).
Canada’s strong showing was part of a broader global rotation away from U.S. mega-cap technology stocks and into international “value” markets.
Ultimately, risk tolerance is revealed through thoughtful conversations about what must be fully protected and where clients are willing to take risk. But risk tolerance is just one piece of the puzzle — risk management is where advisors can add significant value and differentiate themselves.
A plan-based benchmark changes the advisor’s role from portfolio reporter to progress partner. Instead of reviewing performance against a market index, the discussion can focus on metrics such as cash flow resilience, adherence to the risk budget, and after-tax outcomes.
As careers advance and income increases, spending often follows suit. This is lifestyle creep: the gradual increase in expenses as your financial life expands.
President Donald Trump has promised to address housing-market dysfunction and a lack of affordability in 2026. While we don’t know what the White House has planned, previous talk has included a (much criticized) suggestion for 50-year mortgages and exhortations to builders to do their duty and build more housing.
Silver was the best-performing commodity last year, up an astounding 145%, but precious metals as a whole delivered solid returns. Gold, silver, platinum and palladium all responded positively to a number of factors, from rising geopolitical tensions to changes to global trade to the accelerating energy transition.
This week’s release of the FOMC meeting minutes showed relatively strong diverging views on current monetary policy as well as on the path for policy this year.
For many high-net-worth investors in Pittsburgh, an Opportunity Zone conversation starts the same way: a large capital gain shows up on a return, perhaps from a business sale, a commercial real estate exit, or a concentrated stock position, and the question becomes how to manage the tax hit without making a rushed investment decision.
Last year, we thought economic growth would slow. Verdict: GDP data say we were wrong, employment data say we were right. Last year we thought the stock market would decline. Verdict: it did in March and April, sharply, but the S&P 500 ended the year with an impressive 16.4% gain. Overall, we’d say our negativity was unwarranted.
From an investment perspective, the financial ramifications operate on two levels — direct and indirect effects. The most direct effect is visible in the distressed debt market. Bonds issued by PDVSA, Venezuela’s state-run oil company, remain in technical default but had already begun a sharp rally in mid-December. Investors, anticipating an increased likelihood of regime change, have now seen that thesis validated.
The market enters 2026 on a fundamentally solid footing, even if the year-end trading days were choppier than the traditional year-end rallies we often see. Economic momentum exiting 2025 was strong.
The outlook for Chinese equities in 2026 is bright. Its ability to stand up to US trade demands reflects the narrowing technological gap between the two economies. We anticipate a less confrontational approach towards trade in 2026 as both sides seek to focus on growing their economies.
Silver’s parabolic rise has been remarkable. In this article, we examine the two similar price surges to provide context for what may be occurring today and, importantly, for what might cause this bubble to pop tomorrow.
Advisors who run or plan to run ETF-based portfolios need to have a formalized trading methodology. For those who haven’t yet developed one, this article is intended to help accelerate progress and avoid some risks that may not be obvious to anyone who is primarily experienced with trading mutual funds.
The defining feature of every bubble is the same: a growing inconsistency between the long-term returns that investors expect in their heads - based on extrapolation of the past, and the long-term returns that properly relate prices to likely future cash flows - based on valuations. Every bubble smuggles the same tragic past into the same tragic future by packaging it with new wrinkles that convince investors that this time is different. Ultimately, they still end the same way.
In 2025, the prices of precious metals rose sharply, with silver prices recently surging past $80 per ounce. Of course, when precious metals rise, there is always the same group of commentators (mostly paid newsletter writers and physical metal dealers) to declare that a financial analysis is underway.
As the private-credit market matures, it’s also becoming more accessible to a wider range of investors. But variation in outcomes has increased. In our view, that’s a byproduct of growing scale and competition.
With 2025 in the books, we take a brief pause to reflect on QuantStreet over the last few years. We started managing our first portfolio in December of 2021. What started out as just an idea has grown into a business serving many clients, both retail and institutional. 2025 was a year of growth for QuantStreet, and we hope to continue to build on this in 2026.
To help our clients and the marketplace navigate this evolving landscape, in the following sections, we’ve identified five key ETF industry themes to watch in 2026. These areas reflect the ongoing growth, innovation, and strategic shifts shaping the ETF industry, and they will be critical in understanding where opportunities and challenges lie in the year ahead.
Now, as we turn the page to 2026, new challenges await: geopolitical tensions, lofty valuations, and an evolving macro backdrop. That’s why we’re excited to unveil our Ten Themes for 2026, inspired by Mission: Impossible, celebrating the 30th anniversary of its first movie this year.
Cathie Wood’s ARK Blockchain & Fintech Innovation ETF delivered a standout 29% return in 2025, defying an industry downturn by stretching the definition of “financial technology.”
Hedge funds are racing to Caracas to scout assets following the high-stakes removal of Nicolás Maduro by the Trump administration. Investors view the potential reintegration of the oil-rich nation into the Western financial system as a historic opportunity for restructuring debt and infrastructure.
US oil stocks jumped in premarket trading on Monday after President Donald Trump pledged to revive the Venezuelan energy sector following the capture of Nicolás Maduro over the weekend.
In 2026, AI hectacorns might go public. That process, historians would tell you, was a harbinger for the dot-com bust as hopeless balance sheets were ignored in favor of overhyped promises that eventually collapsed.
US initial public offerings delivered underwhelming results in 2025 as equity-market volatility and increasing scrutiny around themes such as crypto and artificial intelligence hit some of the year’s most high-profile listings.
From an AI-fueled stock rally to China shaking off US tariff threats and earning a record trade surplus, 2025 was full of economic marvels. Don’t expect debates over innovation and economic disruptions to disappear in 2026.
Nuclear power tends to be attractive for its reliability, longevity, and emission free-power generation. Despite these benefits, nuclear energy represents a relatively small portion of worldwide power generation. In 2024, nuclear accounted for 9% of the global electricity mix.
Our 2026 outlook shows fixed income continuing to benefit from elevated rates, while equities still face a narrowing edge over risk-free investments.
In late December, I attended the Direxion Investments opening bell ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange. In October 2025, Direxion launched a new family of ETFs into their ever-growing roster of leveraged and inverse funds: the Titans ETFs.
Having visited scores of companies around the world, conducted interviews with our team, and especially with Matt Ridley, we want to highlight what we think are the best of the best. These are our choices. But remember, ROS is a community. You will disagree with at least a few of my picks.
Major hedge funds achieved historic returns in 2025 as tariff-driven market volatility created ideal conditions for macro and multi-strategy trading.
Michael Saylor has long noted that Bitcoin’s volatility “is a feature, not a bug” when pitching his cryptocurrency accumulator Strategy Inc.
Michael serves as Head of Distribution for Eventide. He is responsible for Eventide's product, distribution, and education strategy. Mr. Schnackenberg leads Eventide's Sales, Marketing, Key Accounts, and Eventide Center for Faith and Investing teams.
Investors and advisors have numerous goals to meet with their portfolios. Some investors full send their portfolios to produce as much capital appreciation as possible. Others, especially those at or near retirement age, look for current income and ballast to steady their financial ships.
Artificial-intelligence-related investment is one of the trends likely to sustain the rise of emerging market equities in 2026, as policy support also contributes to a favorable backdrop.
As we step into 2026, the financial landscape is shifting rapidly—new legislation, evolving markets, changing interest rates, and changing family needs may all shape the choices you make today.
With silver and gold both surging significantly higher over the past couple of weeks, a correction was inevitable. When an asset price quickly rises, at some point, it will ultimately become oversold. Investors book profits, and the price corrects.
Emerging-market stocks posted a strong start to 2026, following a $7.2 trillion annual rally, as Asia’s expanding role in artificial intelligence lifted Chinese technology shares to their biggest gains since September and pushed benchmarks in South Korea and Taiwan to record highs.
The S&P 500 Index climbed at the open on Friday as investors bought tech stocks ahead of next week’s massive CES conference and cheered signs President Donald Trump was easing up on tariff policies.
Gold and silver rose as 2026 trading kicked off, building on their best annual performances since 1979.
US Treasuries rose on the first trading day of 2026, getting off to a positive start after notching their best annual return in five years.
Investors were rationally exuberant in 2025. US consumers remained remarkably resilient, keeping the world's largest economy out of recession. The tariff blizzard waxed and waned, eventually settling at levies still compatible with maintaining global growth, albeit at an anemic level.
The most-read practice management articles of the year touch on topics ranging from helping clients retiring early get suitable health insurance to dealing with conflicting political views held by clients or colleagues.
Trillions of dollars hang in the balance of two questions that dominated this year and loom perilously large over the next. “Will the artificial intelligence bubble burst?” and “Will China beat the US?”
The Federal Reserve delivered a widely anticipated rate cut in December, signaling caution about growth risks while maintaining a “wait and see” stance.
U.S. equities were little changed on Friday in a quiet, low volume session following the Christmas holiday, with a lack of major catalysts keeping trading subdued. All three major indexes finished modestly lower on the day, snapping a short rally, but still closed the week with solid gains.
RiverFront’s Investment Team is proud to present the summary of our 2026 Outlook, which will be released this Friday, December 19th. In 2025, the tech-heavy US stock market rode a wave of AI awareness and spending.
On this special episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research, Todd Rosenbluth, reviewed some of his biggest takeaways for the ETF industry in 2025 with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life.
The U.S. economy appears poised for a measured and confident expansion into 2026 driven by a stabilizing monetary policy, corporate strength, and resilient household income growth. Our outlook suggests a supportive environment for risk assets, particularly domestic equities, while favoring specialized strategies in fixed income.
