The era of "easy" yield in money market funds is ending as the Federal Reserve begins its long-awaited series of rate cuts. To stay ahead of shifting borrowing costs, investors are increasingly looking toward the flexibility and proprietary research of actively managed fixed income ETFs.
In the current installment of The Roundup, Oaktree experts explore the need for renewed vigilance in the direct lending market, discuss the future of private credit in Europe, identify the evolution of the high yield bond market, and reflect on the backdrop for emerging markets equities.
Franklin Equity Group’s Grant Bowers suggests the US economy may be approaching a Goldilocks equilibrium in 2026, supported by stable growth, anchored inflation and policy tailwinds.
Understand how a recession is defined and how to avoid common investment mistakes during recession-driven stock market downturns.
Investors navigating the 2026 landscape must balance a fragmented "K-shaped" consumer market against the tailwinds of falling interest rates and the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA). Despite a cautious Federal Reserve and potential government shutdowns, the prevailing view is that structural transformation and fiscal support will foster economic resilience.
Treasuries gained across the curve as softer-than-forecast US inflation data led traders to step up bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest-rate next year.
In the world of exchange-traded funds, some investors tend to look at index-based ETFs as static alternatives to the more flexible active funds. However, that is not necessarily the case. Index-based funds do move their assets around, particularly when their underlying indexes rebalance at points throughout the year.
This year’s research highlights a clear investor preference for high-conviction themes like crypto, global defense, and commodities, which dominated both inflows and market discourse.
Gold traded near a record as investors assessed US inflation data that came in softer than expected. Platinum extended a breakneck rally that saw it surge close to $2,000 an ounce.
Tesla’s surging valuation reflects Wall Street’s immense faith in Elon Musk’s AI and robotics vision, even as the company’s core automotive fundamentals face significant pressure.
The crypto market is struggling to find its footing as Bitcoin’s most "diamond-handed" investors continue a massive exit, offloading billions in previously dormant tokens.
The latest bout of volatility in US equity markets highlights a risk that strategists at JPMorgan Chase & Co. have been warning about: “extreme crowding” in stocks that have rallied hard this year.
In statistical terms, the coming year will offer a multi-modal distribution of possibilities: a plausible path of robust, AI-led growth sits in the middle, flanked by a productivity miracle on one side and a risk-laden, bond-market-led downside on the other. Investors and policymakers must prepare for all of these outcomes.
What were the key takeaways from last month’s numbers? Our corporate bond specialists look back at the market’s performance and provide incisive commentary to help you make sense of what drove the market—and what may be on the horizon for fixed income investors.
Many beneficiaries who inherited retirement accounts after 2019 must begin taking required minimum distributions in 2025 under the SECURE Act's 10-year rule. Our Bill Cass notes that heirs should plan distribution strategies based on their individual tax situations.
As widely expected, a divided Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point, marking the third consecutive meeting with a rate reduction. One voting member dissented in favor of a larger half-point cut, while two members voted to leave rates unchanged. T
LPL Research examines why the bull market appears ready to continue its run in 2026, powered by AI enthusiasm and further easing of monetary policy from the Fed.
Market value is often discussed, frequently quoted, and commonly misunderstood. In this article, I will explain what market value truly represents, how it is calculated, and why understanding it is so important for long-term investment success.
Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.
LPL Financial explores trending retirement policy shifts topics, including Trump Accounts and private equity’s expanding role in 401(k)s.
This video examines key data from the BLS Employment Situation Report with data through November 2025.
Join the experts at WisdomTree for an educational webcast covering the biggest takeaways from the final FOMC meeting of 2025 and how to set yourself up for success in 2026.
The slow integration of generative AI in financial services is largely driven by a fundamental tension between innovation and risk management. Despite the pressure to compete, executives remain wary of hallucinations that could jeopardize both assets and reputations.
I don’t recommend running away from things in most cases. As Kelly Clarkson sings in “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”, we want to get stronger by facing things we are afraid of. In most cases standing up to bullies or those people who ridicule you actually feels good.
What will really determine whether your firm has success using AI or any technology is whether employees and advisors trust the way these tools are explained, implemented, and managed.
Coming into 2025, amid a debate about concentration and lofty valuations in the largest of large-cap stocks, as well as concerns about macro uncertainty and economic conditions, we collectively called for diversification. That diversification, among other things, singled out the opportunity in small-caps.
Aspiring homebuyers should find the US housing market slightly more affordable in 2026, even without the benefit of lower mortgage rates.
European real estate companies have been buying back junior bonds like never before, seeking to get their balance sheets in order after a tumultuous few years.
Here’s a shocker — if you give businesses more time to respond to a survey, chances are you’ll get more data back in return.
US-listed biotechnology and pharmaceutical company share sales are staging a late-year revival, as mergers and acquisitions in the industry boost valuations and stoke additional demand.
Elevated yields, steeper yield curves, and ongoing volatility make core bonds a compelling choice for total return, income, diversification, and downside risk mitigation in today’s markets. Active management is key: Historically, it has helped core bond portfolios outperform passive strategies through a rigorous, diversified approach.
Investors should treat bitcoin as the volatile, high-risk asset it is. A look at the data, along with comparisons to the Magnificent 7 stocks, indicates a small (1% to 2%) portfolio allocation for most investors would be the safest.
The Federal Reserve wrapped up its final meeting of 2025, delivering – as expected – its third consecutive rate cut. Policymakers lowered the fed funds rate to a target range of 3.5% to 3.75%, signaling continued support for the economy.
During extended upward-trending markets that reward risk-takers and punish caution, everyone is a “bull market genius.” That dynamic flips investor psychology and, over time, creates a false sense of control.
Oracle Corp. shocked investors with the disclosure of $248 billion in future lease-payment commitments, primarily for AI data centers and cloud capacity, which are set to commence by its 2028 financial year but are not yet on its balance sheet.
In this video, Chuck Carnevale, co-founder of FAST Graphs and “Mr. Valuation”, continues his series on portfolio construction by shifting the focus from retirees to younger, pre-retirement investors building wealth for the future-how young investors can build a future retirement with dividend growth.
Innovation is no longer confined to tech—it’s transforming every sector of the economy, from transportation and health care to energy and retail. Learn more from Franklin Equity Group’s Matt Moberg.
We’ll call it a steady year for the box office in 2025. A handful of big-time flicks are on deck for the holidays, while studios hope for an improved macro backdrop to drive bigger numbers next year.
We’re finally breaking out of the clouds! Economists have mostly been flying blind because of the government shutdown, but this week the data really start to flow again. In particular, we get a partial report on the employment situation in October and a full report for November, retail sales in October, and consumer prices in November.
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research, Todd Rosenbluth, discussed the VictoryShares Free Cash Flow Growth ETF (GFLW) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life. The pair discussed several topics related to the fund to give investors a deeper understanding of the ETF.
Ben Johnson, Head of Client Solutions at Morningstar, recaps the year in ETFs, sharing his picks for ETF Story of the Year, ETF of the Year, ETF Issuer of the Year, and more. He also looks ahead to 2026, highlighting the key industry trends and developments he’s watching.
Join the experts at Victory Capital for an educational webcast exploring the FCF metric and how investors can deploy it to capture opportunities and mitigate risk.
Preparing for the new year? It helps to look back on the big stories in fund management that can inform plans for 2026.
As more retail investors gain access to private markets, advisors should be careful to communicate the risks, and not just the potential upside, of diving into these alternative investments.
Cannabis stocks soared on Friday following news that U.S. president Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order as soon as Monday that would ultimately ease federal restrictions on marijuana.
Looking to add exposure to the Nasdaq? The key market index, with its heavy focus on the information technology sector, can help investors lean more into some key growth-oriented firms in the U.S. and global economy.
As anxiety over an artificial-intelligence bubble reached a fever pitch in recent months, no Wall Street bank helped the industry power past the noise like Morgan Stanley.
Market participants said the longer-term outlook for the sector remains upbeat as power demand is too high to be met by Big Oil alone. And the rally this year is far from overdone, with the clean-energy stock gauge remaining about 73% below its 2007 peak.
Every time there’s a raging bull market in stocks, as there is now, people start worrying about too much leverage in the market, and for good reason. When investors chase stocks with borrowed money, bad things can happen.
The goal with perpetual, unsolvable problems is to move from gridlock to dialogue. You don’t have to agree. You do have to understand.
