Most of us are not prepared for the incredible degree of change Artificial Intelligence (AI), combined with automation, is bringing to society.
At a private markets conference focused on the ultra-rich in London this week, the typically discreet sector was notably candid about its growing interest in private credit.
Banks from Wells Fargo & Co. to smaller Japanese lenders are flocking to top-rated collateralized loan obligation deals, pushing up secondary prices for buyout debt.
A multibillion-dollar capital markets experiment is unfolding on Wall Street, as entrepreneurs use blank-check companies and reverse mergers to take their holdings of digital assets public.
A full three months since President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcements sparked panic in financial markets, macro developments have been benign. The passage of the Big Beautiful Bill has brought clarity on the fiscal outlook, but uncertainty on trade negotiations remains. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai explains what this means for investors going forward.
The S&P 500 retreated on Friday from its record high set the previous day.
The yield on the 10-year note ended July 11, 2025 at 4.43%. Meanwhile, the 2-year note ended at 3.90% and the 30-year note ended at 4.96%.
Advisor Perspectives had a strong mix of pieces in the top 10 articles for views on its leaderboard for the month of June.
Bitcoin options traders are already setting their sights on higher prices as the original cryptocurrency extends its record-breaking rally for a second day.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. bosses grew curious last summer as they clocked an unusual number of absences at the training sessions that kicked off their ultra-competitive junior analyst program.
With the price of digital assets testing the boundaries of plausibility, and Congress promising legislation to boost the industry further, now might be a good time for bank regulators to take notice.
I have been a pension nerd since I was 20 years old. So I have been hearing for literally decades that there is a simple, magical solution to all our retirement funding problems: Just take more risk! When the investments pay off, the coffers will be replenished and all will be well.
Nothing says talent war like a $100 million job offer. Mark Zuckerberg has been on a hiring blitz for AI’s most revered scientists, sending them cold emails and offering them roles in his new Superintelligence Labs division whose goal is nothing less than to build artificial-intelligence software that’s smarter than humans.
Young Americans are having trouble becoming fully independent adults. Millennials, who were long ridiculed for being boomerang kids who scurried back to mom and dad’s basement after leaving the security blanket of college, know a thing or two about that.
Three ETF strategies that launched in June stand out, bringing something interesting to the table for investors.
The valuation of small-cap stocks relative to large caps remains historically attractive, and small-cap recoveries in the past have resulted in meaningful periods of outperformance.
Compelling bond yields and diverging equity returns offer building blocks for effective strategies.
One of the more storied headlines this year has been President Trump’s disappointment with the Fed for not cutting rates. We should all know by now that the President cannot fire a Fed Chair simply because he/she is not lowering interest rates to their liking.
Considering the spate of sizable inflows into spot bitcoin ETFs and the recent ebullience surrounding equities, some investors are vexed by recent lethargy displayed by the largest cryptocurrency. However, sluggishness is in the eye of the beholder. Bitcoin gained about 3.3% for the week ending June 26, but HODLers wanted more.
As we reach the midpoint of 2025, we reflect on the notably volatile trajectory of bond yields so far this year, considering the potential opportunity for tax-aware fixed income investors to harvest losses.
After mid-level performance in Q1, financials sector earnings are seen slowing in Q2, according to analysts, though favorable signs like the yield curve could help margins.
We are in a period of market greed right now, even if you haven’t noticed it.
Franklin Mutual Series shares its mid-year outlook, focusing on corporate fundamentals as a catalyst to unlock value in the midst of ongoing market volatility.
As we head into the second half of the year, expect record stock buyback activity for companies in the S&P 500.
The 20th century Baby Boom was one of the most powerful demographic events in the history of the United States. We've created a series of charts to show seven age cohorts of the employed population from 1948 to the present.
Global central bankers have ducked a chance to push for tight borrowing constraints on the biggest hedge funds, whose importance to core government bond and other financial markets has grown enormously in the past decade.
Huawei Technologies Co. is trying to export small quantities of AI chips to the Middle East and Southeast Asia, an effort to establish a foothold in markets dominated by Nvidia Corp. despite ongoing manufacturing challenges.
Today, one in three of the 65-69 cohort, one in five of the 70-74 cohort, and one in ten of the 75+ cohort are in the labor force.
Join robotics and AI expert Dr. Illah Nourbakhsh for this exclusive summer webinar exploring how parents can prepare their children for an AI-powered world.
Rare earth magnet producer MP Materials Corp. secured a $400 million equity investment from the US Department of Defense to build a new plant, with a $1 billion financing commitment from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. The shares soared.
US equities swung between small gains and losses at the open Thursday as investors parsed through a slew of tariff headlines and looked ahead to corporate results that are due to start in the earnest next week.
In the week ending July 5th, initial jobless claims were at a seasonally adjusted level of 227,000. This represents a decrease of 5,000 from the previous week's figure. The latest reading was lower than the 236,000 forecast.
Private equity firms are bringing their portfolio companies back to the US IPO market, testing investor demand for firms that have more debt than other recent listings.
The Treasury market rallied after an auction of 10-year notes drew strong demand, easing concerns that investors will balk at financing swelling US deficits.
Liberation Day seems like a lifetime ago. But the 90-day pause is almost over, and—thus far—there are few deals that have been consummated.
We expect tariff policy to remain a key part of the narrative pushed by the administration.
In this month’s issue, Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity explains how markets in many regions are weathering US policy uncertainty and offers an upbeat assessment of Vietnam after a recent research visit.
In the weeks leading up to last month’s Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran, oil prices climbed – not due to actual supply disruptions, but in response to a geopolitical risk premium.
In this article, you’ll learn how to evaluate crypto ETFs with the same rigor you apply to traditional investment products.
A new era of regulation is bound to bring high hopes for the crypto bulls. House Republicans are now gearing up for “Crypto Week” – during which the committee has agreed to prioritize digital asset legislation and review several crypto-related bills.
At the recent 2025 Morningstar Investment Conference, CEO Kunal Kapoor highlighted a growing trend that is reshaping the investment landscape.
Our strategy work and quantitative insights suggest the conditions behind more than a decade of U.S. equity outperformance are starting to shift.
Our long-time investors are probably wondering why we haven’t made any gains over the last 18 months.
The labor force participation rate (LFPR) is a simple computation: You take the civilian labor force (people aged 16 and over employed or seeking employment) and divide it by the civilian non-institutional population (those 16 and over not in the military and or committed to an institution). As of June, the labor force participation rate is at 62.3%, down from 62.4% the previous month.
Looking at the first half of 2025 reveals a nuanced landscape for private equity (PE) and principal investors.
Our monthly workforce recovery analysis has been updated to include the latest employment report for June. The unemployment rate unexpectedly inch lower to 4.1%. Additionally, the number of new non-farm jobs (a relatively volatile number subject to extensive revisions) came in at 147,000.
The artificial intelligence investment landscape reached a critical inflection point in Q2 2025, with the ROBO Global Artificial Intelligence Index (THNQ) delivering exceptional returns of 24.4%.
Advisors who rely solely on instinct or inertia will get left behind, because having a real business plan is a powerful differentiator. But any plan is only as strong as its execution.
ClearBridge Investments believes positive forces from One Big Beautiful Bill Act passage and future interest rate cuts should soon outweigh negative forces of tariff actions.
If you're thinking about adding subscription services to your financial planning practice, you're not alone. More advisors are moving beyond the traditional AUM model to offer monthly subscription plans, and for good reason.
