With tensions simmering in the Middle East and the global economy feeling the pinch of high energy prices, high-yield bonds might not be on every investor’s radar. In our view, they should be.
David Mann, our Head of Global Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Product and Capital Markets, explains how meatloaf—the dish, not the singer—serves as a perfect example of how his ETF thinking has evolved over the past decade.
ClearBridge Investments: The ongoing energy crisis is pushing global oil inventories, including many critical product inventories, toward all-time lows, and it may be time to position portfolios given the potential for supply shortages to emerge.
Explore how Women in ETFs & CFAOC experts believe AI will supplement, not replace, financial professionals.
America is fast becoming a country with two economies: a stagnant one for men and a growing one for women. So far this year, the US has created more than 165,000 private-sector jobs, and 72% of them went to women. To some extent this reflects a structural change in the economy, as growth is in industries more likely to employ women, such as healthcare.
Rising bond yields curbed traders’ appetite for risky bets early Friday, sending stocks lower following a weeks-long record-setting rally driven by a rush of cash into all things artificial intelligence.
Industrial production rose more than expected in April, increasing 0.7% after a 0.3% decline in March. This was higher than the expected 0.3% growth and marks a 1.4% increase compared to one year ago.
Investors shed government bonds around the world, propelling borrowing costs to multi-year highs from Japan to the US amid intensifying fears that war-driven inflation will force central banks to pursue higher interest rates.
Manufacturing activity grew strongly in New York State, according to the Empire State Manufacturing May survey. The diffusion index for General Business Conditions rose 8.6 points to 19.6, its highest level in over four years.
Elon Musk’s ambitions for artificial intelligence are coming together in a former vacuum-cleaner factory in Memphis, Tennessee.
With stocks near all-time highs, the need for change is hardly obvious. Proponents argue that requiring fewer reports will reduce the time and cost of compliance. Some blame an increase in disclosure demands over the last three decades for a sharp decline in the number of public companies.
AI is surely the zeitgeist at industry conferences across sectors right now. Emerging technology, increased efficiency, and scalability are all talking points. But so too are headcount reductions, reduced tech-sector free cash flow, and growing worries about a 1990s-like bubble.
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.
Investing in emerging markets (EM) used to be synonymous with getting exposure to China. It’s an ideal notion, given that it’s the second largest economy and thus commands a heavy weight in standard EM benchmarks. Challenging that narrative today is a changing geopolitical landscape, which continues as U.S. president Donald Trump visits China in a high-stakes meeting between the two economic superpowers.
High-growth technology stocks still dominate the investment landscape, fueled by the promise of AI. But recent signs of a broadening market are revealing that more industries beyond just tech are positioned to benefit. We think large-cap value stocks are well-poised for this shift, especially since AI can be both a disruptive and driving force in today’s dynamic market.
There is a big difference between betting on something and investing in meritorious companies with long holding periods. Although we are no longer shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett shared some wisdom with everyone recently.
Silver may help efficiently produce hydrogen for use as a power source. Not only is hydrogen clean-burning – leaving only water – but it is easier to store and transport than petroleum-based fuels. Conventional methods of producing hydrogen, such as steam methane reforming (SMR) or water electrolysis, have disadvantages that silver may help to overcome.
Yields for preferred securities have generally risen more than corporate bond and long-term Treasury yields over the past few months, making them more attractive to investors.
Stock markets have been hitting all-time highs and credit spreads remain low, yet higher interest rates and mounting floating-rate debt are straining lower-rated borrowers. This tension is surfacing first in leveraged loans as “quiet defaults” become more common — opening up a dynamic set of opportunities for investors specialized in stressed and distressed assets.
The most attractive conversion opportunities appear when income temporarily drops. Early retirement before Social Security and RMDs begin is the classic window. Sabbaticals, business transition years, the gap after a company sale, years with unusually low K-1 or bonus income. These are all potential openings.
Today, 529 plans offer flexible, tax-advantaged savings beyond traditional college. Recent updates expand their use to K-12 tuition, vocational training and the option to transfer unused funds to a Roth IRA. Our Bill Cass explains the ways to optimize the benefits of 529 savings plans.
Semiconductors and software have largely overshadowed the electrification ETF trade. Paul Baiocchi, head of fund sales and strategy at SS&C ALPS Advisors, says most investors are missing the sectors that actually power the AI buildout.
It’s likely not a bubble. Earnings are high. Prices are high because they anticipate future high earnings growth. The historical record shows that growth rate is achievable.
Investors and advisors often seek private equity, but they are frequently thwarted by liquidity and other issues.
Top RIA executives said Tuesday the industry's growth is still early, with breakaway clients and a talent shortage as key forces.
GraniteShares and VettaFi are bringing together the experts to demystify autocallable and barrier ETFs: how they generate superior income, how barrier levels protect against the downside, and exactly how they fit into a modern income strategy.
Addressing common 529 Savings Plan concerns and how recent legislative updates have broadened the 529 scope.
Nominal retail sales were up 0.49% month-over-month and up 4.87% year-over-year in April. However, after adjusting for inflation, real retail sales were down 0.15% month-over-month and up 1.05% year-over-year.
According to the Census Bureau’s Advance Retail Sales Report, consumer spending climbed for the third consecutive month in April. While headline sales rose 0.5% (as expected), this marked a deceleration from March’s 1.6% surge, with much of the gain driven by higher prices at the pump.
While US stocks have been going from one record to the next, global asset allocators haven’t quite kept up. And that may keep the market’s upward momentum intact as fund managers try to catch up.
Investors are growing increasingly optimistic about Amazon.com Inc.’s position in artificial intelligence, lighting a fire under the stock and sending the company’s market capitalization soaring toward the rarefied $3 trillion level.
In today’s war-torn market, both are the supplier of last resort. One provides dollars; the other barrels. But that’s where the similarities end. The central bank can print the currency at ease; the drillers cannot.
Ford Motor Co. has finally hit upon an electric strategy that shouldn’t lose money. The key element is that it doesn’t involve vehicles — not for now, anyway.
Apollo Global Management Inc. announced last week that it will soon provide daily pricing for its private credit. It may not sound like a big move, but its decision to lift the veil on these assets could be the most impactful development in financial markets and investing in a long time.
April delivered a constructive backdrop for preferred securities, with the ICE BofA Fixed-Rate Preferred Securities Index rebounding 2.23% and bringing YTD returns back into positive territory at 0.8%.
Artificial intelligence (AI) leadership is no longer a developed-market monopoly. Emerging markets (EM) now have their own AI champions, and productivity gains may follow. For bond investors, we expect the implications to differ by country—driven by industry composition, capital intensity, digital infrastructure and speed to adoption.
Many have drawn the comparison between the current AI buildout with the dotcom period in the late 1990s, when the infrastructure for the internet was built. It’s a sensible comparison to make because of the massive amount of capital deployed to commercialize the buildout of revolutionary and life-changing technology.
Royce Investment Partners: Co-CIO Francis Gannon looks at how recent performance may be subtly announcing a turning point in market leadership.
Typically, an investor’s traditional bond portfolio begins with a cornerstone, or core holding of some sort. From either a strategic or tactical perspective, a core fixed income position provides the investor with some ballast to help anchor any other strategies that may be included.
State revenues are softening, and rainy day fund capacity has declined for the first time since the Great Recession, he wrote in his second quarter outlook report released Wednesday. The end of pandemic-era stimulus programs, slowing tax collections and rising costs are all adding to the weakness.
The logic of balanced investing is straightforward: equities drive long-term growth, bonds provide income and ballast when stocks fall, and the combination delivers a smoother ride than either asset alone. For decades, the 60/40 portfolio has been the default framework for good reason – it has worked, often brilliantly, across multiple market cycles.
Our reading is that this is a meaningful positive at the surface — a real-time confirmation that the most pessimistic recession scripts written in March can be set aside — but it is also a print that fails to alter the structural calculus we have been describing all year. The labor market is steady. The trajectory of fiscal policy, monetary credibility, and dollar reserve status is not.
Kevin Warsh set to be confirmed as the next Fed chair, Senate committee meets to consider the CLARITY Act, President Trump heads to China, and the gerrymandering wars heat up.
With inflation persistent and rising due to soaring energy prices, it’s not surprising that advisors and fixed income investors are revisiting Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). In fact, data indicate that inflation-linked bonds have been among the most popular fixed income destinations, dating back to 2022.
The ETF landscape is ever changing, and has grown massively since the ETF rule arrived in 2019. It was the game-changer that streamlined the launch process for new funds, thus allowing asset managers to offer new and innovative strategies in the wrapper.
Multiple jobholders accounted for 5.2% of civilian employment in April.
March’s Producer Price Index (PPI) data offered a significant reprieve for inflation watchers, as wholesale price growth came in broadly softer than expected.
April's employment report showed that 17.5% of total employed workers were part time and 82.5% of total employed workers were full-time.
What does the ratio of unemployment claims to the civilian labor force tell us about where we are in the business cycle and recession risk?
This webinar will examine how RaaS is accelerating deployment across manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, and facilities management — and what this structural shift means for the competitive landscape and long-term investment opportunity in robotics and automation.
