Muni issuers are generally sound, so cuts in aid would be felt but dealt with.
Recession fears have risen sharply of late as economic soft data have rolled over, upping the risk that hard data start to catch down.
Several indicators used by fixed income investors to measure value have recently taken a positive turn, potentially flashing an entry-point opportunity for investors with money to put to work.
Economic growth, earnings performance, and rising fiscal spending coupled with "America First" policies are driving international stock markets.
Parametric’s tax optimized ladders (TOL) solution may help to enhance after-tax yield by seeking to optimize the allocation between tax-exempt and taxable bonds, based on an investor’s own tax rate and the relative value between sectors.
The municipal bond tax exemption is back in focus. We believe the threat to infrastructure investment outweighs the modest revenue benefits, which could keep the risk of elimination or significant curtailment low.
As daily headlines drive volatility, the market has avoided overreacting thus far.
Heightened economic uncertainty—propelled mainly by trade policy—has unearthed weakness in the equity market, with most pain felt under the market's surface.
Should you avoid lower-rated, riskier investments like high-yield corporate bonds or bank loans? Not necessarily, but you should understand the risks.
The overall size of the municipal bond market is over $4 trillion. While this a very large market, an investor’s personal situation combined with the nuances of the municipal bond market can sometimes make it feel much smaller.
On this week’s episode of ETF Prime, VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth shares advisor polling data on fixed income.
We explore drivers that may contribute to continued outperformance of European stocks since the bull market began in October 2022.
Tax season can be stressful, but with the right approach, advisors can turn it into an opportunity.
ETF expert Dave Nadig offers hot takes on a range of topics, including private equity in ETFs, Truth.Fi entering the space, memecoins, and increasingly exotic ETF launches. VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth discusses an ongoing battle for the ETF throne and presents the latest advisor polling data on fixed income.
The managed account industry has seen tremendous growth and client adoption, with assets increasing by 28% over the last year and 50% over the past two years.
In a market as broad, opaque and inefficient as the municipal bond market, in which compliance oversight and efficiency are paramount, these initial efficiency gains are just the tip of what may prove to be a transformative technology iceberg.
None of us outside Trump’s inner circle know what the real goals are. What looks like needless chaos might lead to benefits that outweigh the costs. One potential benefit is revenue. Could the tariffs produce significant tax revenue that would help reduce the federal debt? The president seems to think so.
Taxable municipal bonds may be an attractive option for investors in lower tax brackets, but there are things investors should know before making a decision.
“Know what you own” is one of the many phrases we use to help describe and define fixed income, the components of bonds, and the characteristics that affect an investor.
Growth and value are often thought of simplistically, but subsurface details in growth- and value-labeled indexes challenge pre-conceived notions of the factors.
At the same time, the Fed has mostly ignored the impact of easy financial conditions—the combination of stock, bond, and credit conditions—offsetting increases in interest rates by bolstering wealth and confidence.
Cash flow and income sometimes get commingled, potentially creating confusion. Cash flow and yield typically represent two different components that can be used to accomplish different objectives.
Tariff policies have been announced and then subsequently rescinded or delayed–but not yet resolved. They may still hold the potential for market volatility.
Municipal bonds were a hot topic at last week’s VettaFi Fixed Income Symposium — more than I expected them to be.
Alex Mackey of MFS delved into the active bond strategies underpinning MFSB and MFSM in the recent Q1 2025 Fixed Income Symposium.
Adding cash-flow-matched bond strategies to a total return strategy appears to improve total return relative to risk by reducing the likelihood of poor outcomes.
In today’s era of automation, some situations demand a more active approach. Municipal bond investing is one.
Impact investors can help devastated communities recover and build resilience.
The equity market appears to be showing signs of broadening beyond technology.
Many market observers are forecasting leadership from active fixed income exchange traded funds this year.
Stocks rallied in early 2025 as market leadership shifted, with Large Cap Value outperforming growth stocks, while a major AI development from China triggered a sell-off in U.S. technology stocks, raising concerns about the future of AI leadership and high-end chip demand. For investors the implications are more significant for fixed income portfolios, while equities should continue to do well as long as the labor market holds up.
When constructing a portfolio, investors who are seeking income have a range of options to choose from.
Markets responded positively during Trump's first week in office, despite threats of tariffs on the three largest trading partners of the U.S. Are trade risks being dismissed?
Fixed income comes into 2025 on the heels of an explosive 2024. But with 2025’s landscape shifting, investors need guidance.
“Debanking” is about to get a lot of airtime in US politics, but be warned: This debate is a chimera. Crypto enthusiasts, culture warriors and banks all have dogs in the hunt, with each leaning on the others’ interests and narratives to advance their own.
In our view, active investors face opportunities to outperform created by looming policy changes and the macro landscape.
Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.
Four strategies for navigating crosswinds in the municipal bond market.
Bonds look attractive again after the most recent rise in interest rates. Markets are likely to continue to overreact to every new employment report and inflation reading, keeping interest rate volatility elevated as yields dance up and down with each data point.
Some soft data metrics have started to rebound sharply and catch back up to relatively resilient hard data, but it's too soon to say whether the gap is definitively closing.
The pairing of active management and fixed income could be as important as any time in recent memory.
Outlooks for higher education and healthcare are the weakest while transportation and essential utilities are the strongest. Resiliency to withstand an economic downturn is strong for all sectors.
The wildfires may affect some municipal bond issuers in the devastated areas, but the impact to other California bonds or to the broader muni market is likely limited.
Reflecting ongoing uncertainty around inflation and the trajectory of monetary policy, yield volatility posed challenges in 2024. Yet it also highlighted the importance of tax-efficient strategies like loss harvesting in fixed income portfolios.
Natural disasters test—but don’t break—municipalities’ resilience.
Although we are loath to make predictions, conditions appear to be favorable for fixed income in the coming year, and we think investors should consider adjusting their allocations accordingly.
Active fixed income could stand out in 2025, with active offering a way to refresh bond portfolios and allocations.
I’m not ready to concede that active bests the benchmarks by adding what I consider alpha. For example, “positioning the fund to have more credit risk than its benchmark” is a risk premium much in the same way that the equity risk premium produced returns over the risk-free rate. The credit risk premium may be worth it, but that’s beta, not alpha.
Although underlying fundamentals and company financial statements can be difficult to analyze, the general public can easily discern price movements and understand the primary objective—buy low and sell high.
Stocks are coming off another banner year, but strength has bred a frothy sentiment environment, which continues to loom as a risk for likely coming volatility.
December's market activity highlights the need for caution in the near term.
Fixed income is top of mind as investors look to a new interest rate regime. Sylvia Yeh dives into the outlook for 2025.
As investors continue to step out of cash and potentially rebalance out of equities following their strong performance, we expect bonds to play a larger role in diversified portfolios next year.
If you happen to be a Bitcoin skeptic, you’re not alone. A recent Pew Research survey found that 63% of Americans are not confident in the reliability or safety of cryptocurrencies in general.
A BlackRock Inc. fund has bought municipal debt issued earlier this year in a first-of-its-kind deal that relies exclusively on blockchain technology.
The range of potential economic outcomes is wide, but a solid starting point suggests resilience.
The clean-tech venture firm founded by Bill Gates is providing a $40 million grant to carbon-capture startup Deep Sky Corp., which seeks to build large-scale facilities to clean carbon from the air.
Surprises most often are hiding in plain sight. Being aware and prepared with a plan for the unexpected are keys to achieving goals.
We expect gears to shift as potential policy changes under the Trump administration add to uncertainty about inflation and the global economy.
Every year, most investors face a near-certain reality: taxes on their investment portfolio.
In his 2025 investment outlook, Portfolio Manager John Lloyd shares his views on the attractiveness of a multi-sector approach to fixed income investing.
Rice paddies that lay fallow for decades in some of Japan’s most far-flung regions are now its hottest properties.
In the latest episode of ETF 360, Kirsten Chang was joined by Rockefeller Asset Management’s Director of Fixed Income Alex Petrone.
When US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell faces the media after the central bank’s policy-making meeting next week, he’ll probably get a politically fraught question: How will the Fed incorporate president-elect Donald Trump’s stated plans — including tax cuts, tariffs and deportations — into its economic outlook and monetary policy?
Federal Reserve officials will lower interest rates this month for a third straight time and pare back the number of rate cuts they anticipate next year, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
From Wall Street funds to small-time day traders, those who dared to bet big on Elon Musk’s business empire are closing out the year with hefty payoffs, as Donald Trump’s US election win turbocharges the fortunes of the world’s richest man.
Portfolio managers and market strategists from Payden & Rygel review the opportunities and risks ahead for four bond market sectors: high yield, emerging markets, global bonds and low duration securities.
In his 2025 investment outlook, Head of U.S. Securitized Products John Kerschner shares his U.S. securitized outlook, identifying the key trends he believes will drive investment returns in the year ahead.
Join the experts at abrdn as they discuss the nuances of municipal bond investing, how current events are shaping the opportunities for this asset class as we head into 2025, and where municipal bonds may fit within your fixed-income allocation.
China got a head start on a looming trade war with the US by showcasing a new range of tools it’s prepared to use if Donald Trump makes good on his threat to punish the world’s second-biggest economy with tariffs.
The near-$5 trillion hedge fund industry is having one of the toughest years in decades in convincing fee-conscious investors to fork out cash for new market players.
To most of us, a power plant is a source of electricity. To Exxon Mobil Corp., it’s a machine that converts natural gas into money. And this is a propitious time for doing that.
In the two years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, artificial intelligence has come to dominate investor consciousness more than any other technological breakthrough in the past two decades.
SpaceX and its investors have agreed to purchase as much as $1.25 billion of insider shares in a transaction valuing Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker at about $350 billion, according to an internal email seen by Bloomberg.
Republicans have lashed out at the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a landmark package of incentives for clean energy, since it was passed two years ago.
Better than expected economic data in November appears to be thwarting the FOMC's efforts to engineer lower short-term interest rates.
Here are six key areas where AI can make a transformative impact on financial advisory practice.
US consumer prices rose at a firm pace in November that was in line with expectations, solidifying expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next week.
US Treasuries gained and traders boosted their bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate reduction next week after a report showed consumer prices last month accelerated in line with expectations.
What is there to say with Bitcoin at $100,000 for those of us who thought $10,000 looked nuts.
ByteDance Ltd.’s options for TikTok in the US are looking increasingly desolate, as the tech war between Washington and Beijing boils over.
Google debuted a new version of its flagship artificial intelligence model that it said is twice as fast as its previous version and will power virtual agents that assist users.
There are not many attractive opportunities in the US large-cap space. History suggests the market is overdue for a correction.
For a twist on this week’s column, I will share some stress management techniques I often teach to help mitigate the overwhelming feeling of “I can’t do this all!” and to find ways to enjoy the December rush.
Effective listening can help convert more prospects into clients. Your ability to listen effectively can be the deciding factor in whether they choose to work with you.
We examine how a potentially complex bond market in 2025 could still offer opportunities in high-yield bonds, municipal bonds, and inflation-protected securities.
The U.S. economy and stock market are entering 2025 from a position of strength, but risks of volatility—especially pertaining to policy—are much higher compared to last year.
The Santa Claus rally that started a few weeks back continued as the market logged its 53rd record high for 2024. While the Scrooges bemoaned inflation and tariffs, other investors embraced the strong economic data and loaded their sleds with market returns.
The surprise nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head healthcare policy in the U.S. caused substantial volatility in November. But despite heightened uncertainty, the sector’s long-term outlook appears intact, say Portfolio Managers Andy Acker and Dan Lyons – giving investors a potential opportunity to invest at attractive valuations.
Municipal Bonds
Municipal Bonds: Built to Withstand Federal Funding Cuts
Muni issuers are generally sound, so cuts in aid would be felt but dealt with.
A Future Uncertain: Recession Coming?
Recession fears have risen sharply of late as economic soft data have rolled over, upping the risk that hard data start to catch down.
Relative Value Metrics
Several indicators used by fixed income investors to measure value have recently taken a positive turn, potentially flashing an entry-point opportunity for investors with money to put to work.
Making International Great Again?
Economic growth, earnings performance, and rising fiscal spending coupled with "America First" policies are driving international stock markets.
Tax Optimized Ladders: Elevating Taxes as a Crucial Element of Customization in Fixed Income Portfolios
Parametric’s tax optimized ladders (TOL) solution may help to enhance after-tax yield by seeking to optimize the allocation between tax-exempt and taxable bonds, based on an investor’s own tax rate and the relative value between sectors.
Is Eliminating the Tax Exemption on Municipal Bonds Worth the Cost?
The municipal bond tax exemption is back in focus. We believe the threat to infrastructure investment outweighs the modest revenue benefits, which could keep the risk of elimination or significant curtailment low.
Strength of US Economy Continues to Offer Stability
As daily headlines drive volatility, the market has avoided overreacting thus far.
The (Not So) Magnificent Seven?
Heightened economic uncertainty—propelled mainly by trade policy—has unearthed weakness in the equity market, with most pain felt under the market's surface.
Fixed Income: Taking Risk in Moderation
Should you avoid lower-rated, riskier investments like high-yield corporate bonds or bank loans? Not necessarily, but you should understand the risks.
Snapshot of the Municipal Bond Landscape
The overall size of the municipal bond market is over $4 trillion. While this a very large market, an investor’s personal situation combined with the nuances of the municipal bond market can sometimes make it feel much smaller.
ETF Prime: Rosenbluth Shares Advisor Fixed Income Polling Data
On this week’s episode of ETF Prime, VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth shares advisor polling data on fixed income.
The New Magnificent Seven?
We explore drivers that may contribute to continued outperformance of European stocks since the bull market began in October 2022.
How Advisors Can Turn Tax Season Into a Strategic Advantage by Reviewing Their Clients’ 1099 Forms
Tax season can be stressful, but with the right approach, advisors can turn it into an opportunity.
ETF Hot Takes with Industry Veteran Dave Nadig
ETF expert Dave Nadig offers hot takes on a range of topics, including private equity in ETFs, Truth.Fi entering the space, memecoins, and increasingly exotic ETF launches. VettaFi’s Todd Rosenbluth discusses an ongoing battle for the ETF throne and presents the latest advisor polling data on fixed income.
Bond Ladders: Unlocking Direct Indexing Opportunities in Fixed Income
The managed account industry has seen tremendous growth and client adoption, with assets increasing by 28% over the last year and 50% over the past two years.
Bringing Order to Chaos: AI in the Municipal Bond Market
In a market as broad, opaque and inefficient as the municipal bond market, in which compliance oversight and efficiency are paramount, these initial efficiency gains are just the tip of what may prove to be a transformative technology iceberg.
Revenue Thoughts
None of us outside Trump’s inner circle know what the real goals are. What looks like needless chaos might lead to benefits that outweigh the costs. One potential benefit is revenue. Could the tariffs produce significant tax revenue that would help reduce the federal debt? The president seems to think so.
5 Things to Consider About Taxable Municipal Bonds
Taxable municipal bonds may be an attractive option for investors in lower tax brackets, but there are things investors should know before making a decision.
Know What You Own
“Know what you own” is one of the many phrases we use to help describe and define fixed income, the components of bonds, and the characteristics that affect an investor.
Jigsaw Puzzle: Growth vs. Value
Growth and value are often thought of simplistically, but subsurface details in growth- and value-labeled indexes challenge pre-conceived notions of the factors.
Navigating the (New) Conundrum
At the same time, the Fed has mostly ignored the impact of easy financial conditions—the combination of stock, bond, and credit conditions—offsetting increases in interest rates by bolstering wealth and confidence.
Cash Flow & Income
Cash flow and income sometimes get commingled, potentially creating confusion. Cash flow and yield typically represent two different components that can be used to accomplish different objectives.
Safe Haven From the Trade War?
Tariff policies have been announced and then subsequently rescinded or delayed–but not yet resolved. They may still hold the potential for market volatility.
Municipal Bonds Favored by Many Advisors
Municipal bonds were a hot topic at last week’s VettaFi Fixed Income Symposium — more than I expected them to be.
MFS Brings Signature Bond Mutual Fund Strategies to ETFs
Alex Mackey of MFS delved into the active bond strategies underpinning MFSB and MFSM in the recent Q1 2025 Fixed Income Symposium.
Putting ‘Fixed Income’ Back Into Fixed Income: Cash-Flow-Matched Bond Strategies for Retirees
Adding cash-flow-matched bond strategies to a total return strategy appears to improve total return relative to risk by reducing the likelihood of poor outcomes.
Three Reasons Why It Pays to Be Active as a Muni Investor
In today’s era of automation, some situations demand a more active approach. Municipal bond investing is one.
California Wildfires: Municipal Bond Investors Can Make a Difference
Impact investors can help devastated communities recover and build resilience.
Market Performance Reflects Continued Optimism for US Economy
The equity market appears to be showing signs of broadening beyond technology.
Active Fixed Income ETFs Can Extend Momentum in 2025
Many market observers are forecasting leadership from active fixed income exchange traded funds this year.
Stocks Rally in Early ’25, New Winners Emerge
Stocks rallied in early 2025 as market leadership shifted, with Large Cap Value outperforming growth stocks, while a major AI development from China triggered a sell-off in U.S. technology stocks, raising concerns about the future of AI leadership and high-end chip demand. For investors the implications are more significant for fixed income portfolios, while equities should continue to do well as long as the labor market holds up.
Income-Producing Assets
When constructing a portfolio, investors who are seeking income have a range of options to choose from.
Tariffs: Bark Worse Than Bite?
Markets responded positively during Trump's first week in office, despite threats of tariffs on the three largest trading partners of the U.S. Are trade risks being dismissed?
How Should Investors Approach Fixed Income in 2025?
Fixed income comes into 2025 on the heels of an explosive 2024. But with 2025’s landscape shifting, investors need guidance.
Crypto Enters the Debanking Debate With a Weak Case
“Debanking” is about to get a lot of airtime in US politics, but be warned: This debate is a chimera. Crypto enthusiasts, culture warriors and banks all have dogs in the hunt, with each leaning on the others’ interests and narratives to advance their own.
Capital Markets Outlook 1Q 2025: Mind the Gaps
In our view, active investors face opportunities to outperform created by looming policy changes and the macro landscape.
The Opportunity Right in Front of Investors
Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.
Municipal Outlook 2025: Battling Headwinds, Harnessing Tailwinds
Four strategies for navigating crosswinds in the municipal bond market.
Bonds Beckon with Higher Yields
Bonds look attractive again after the most recent rise in interest rates. Markets are likely to continue to overreact to every new employment report and inflation reading, keeping interest rate volatility elevated as yields dance up and down with each data point.
Hard to Handle: A Look at Hard vs. Soft Data
Some soft data metrics have started to rebound sharply and catch back up to relatively resilient hard data, but it's too soon to say whether the gap is definitively closing.
Muni Bonds: Active Management Stepping Into Spotlight
The pairing of active management and fixed income could be as important as any time in recent memory.
2025 Municipal Bond Sector Outlook: Stability and Resiliency
Outlooks for higher education and healthcare are the weakest while transportation and essential utilities are the strongest. Resiliency to withstand an economic downturn is strong for all sectors.
Are California Fires a Risk to the Muni Market?
The wildfires may affect some municipal bond issuers in the devastated areas, but the impact to other California bonds or to the broader muni market is likely limited.
Is Your Fixed Income Manager Delivering Tax Alpha?
Reflecting ongoing uncertainty around inflation and the trajectory of monetary policy, yield volatility posed challenges in 2024. Yet it also highlighted the importance of tax-efficient strategies like loss harvesting in fixed income portfolios.
Assessing the Potential Impact of California’s Wildfires on Municipal Bonds
Natural disasters test—but don’t break—municipalities’ resilience.
Bonds – The Dual Benefit
Doug Drabik discusses fixed income market conditions and offers insight for bond investors.
Strategic Income Outlook: Magic 8-Ball Says, “Cannot Predict Now”
Although we are loath to make predictions, conditions appear to be favorable for fixed income in the coming year, and we think investors should consider adjusting their allocations accordingly.
The Case for Active Fixed Income in 2025
Active fixed income could stand out in 2025, with active offering a way to refresh bond portfolios and allocations.
Examining the Case for Active Bond Investing
I’m not ready to concede that active bests the benchmarks by adding what I consider alpha. For example, “positioning the fund to have more credit risk than its benchmark” is a risk premium much in the same way that the equity risk premium produced returns over the risk-free rate. The credit risk premium may be worth it, but that’s beta, not alpha.
Bonds Are Boring… and That’s a Good thing!
Although underlying fundamentals and company financial statements can be difficult to analyze, the general public can easily discern price movements and understand the primary objective—buy low and sell high.
It Was a Very Good Year
Stocks are coming off another banner year, but strength has bred a frothy sentiment environment, which continues to loom as a risk for likely coming volatility.
S&P 500 Records Its Second Straight Year of 20%-Plus Gains
December's market activity highlights the need for caution in the near term.
Muni Bonds in a New Interest Rate Regime
Fixed income is top of mind as investors look to a new interest rate regime. Sylvia Yeh dives into the outlook for 2025.
2025 Fixed Income Outlook: Monetary and Fiscal Crosscurrents May Create Volatility, Yet Opportunity Persists
As investors continue to step out of cash and potentially rebalance out of equities following their strong performance, we expect bonds to play a larger role in diversified portfolios next year.
BlackRock Says Bitcoin Deserves a Spot in Your Portfolio
If you happen to be a Bitcoin skeptic, you’re not alone. A recent Pew Research survey found that 63% of Americans are not confident in the reliability or safety of cryptocurrencies in general.
BlackRock ETF Buys First Muni Bonds Issued Through Blockchain
A BlackRock Inc. fund has bought municipal debt issued earlier this year in a first-of-its-kind deal that relies exclusively on blockchain technology.
World Economy to Continue Rebalancing in 2025
The range of potential economic outcomes is wide, but a solid starting point suggests resilience.
Bill Gates-Backed Fund Bets $40 Million on Carbon Removal Firm Deep Sky
The clean-tech venture firm founded by Bill Gates is providing a $40 million grant to carbon-capture startup Deep Sky Corp., which seeks to build large-scale facilities to clean carbon from the air.
Top Five Surprises for 2025
Surprises most often are hiding in plain sight. Being aware and prepared with a plan for the unexpected are keys to achieving goals.
Schwab Market Perspective: 2025 Outlook
We expect gears to shift as potential policy changes under the Trump administration add to uncertainty about inflation and the global economy.
2024 Capital Gains Snapshot: Understanding the Tax Pain Many Investors Will Feel
Every year, most investors face a near-certain reality: taxes on their investment portfolio.
Yield on the Table: Why Multisector May Make Sense in 2025
In his 2025 investment outlook, Portfolio Manager John Lloyd shares his views on the attractiveness of a multi-sector approach to fixed income investing.
Chip Cities Rise in Japan’s Fields of Dreams
Rice paddies that lay fallow for decades in some of Japan’s most far-flung regions are now its hottest properties.
ETF360: Alex Petrone of Rockefeller Asset Management discusses RMOP
In the latest episode of ETF 360, Kirsten Chang was joined by Rockefeller Asset Management’s Director of Fixed Income Alex Petrone.
The Fed Can’t Ignore All of Trump’s Intentions
When US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell faces the media after the central bank’s policy-making meeting next week, he’ll probably get a politically fraught question: How will the Fed incorporate president-elect Donald Trump’s stated plans — including tax cuts, tariffs and deportations — into its economic outlook and monetary policy?
Fed to Cut Once More Before Slowing Pace in 2025, Economists Say
Federal Reserve officials will lower interest rates this month for a third straight time and pare back the number of rate cuts they anticipate next year, according to economists surveyed by Bloomberg News.
A 500% Rally Shows the Elon Musk Euphoria for Bold-Faced Fund
From Wall Street funds to small-time day traders, those who dared to bet big on Elon Musk’s business empire are closing out the year with hefty payoffs, as Donald Trump’s US election win turbocharges the fortunes of the world’s richest man.
What’s Ahead for Fixed Income in 2025?
Portfolio managers and market strategists from Payden & Rygel review the opportunities and risks ahead for four bond market sectors: high yield, emerging markets, global bonds and low duration securities.
Key Trends Driving U. S. Securitized Fixed Income in 2025
In his 2025 investment outlook, Head of U.S. Securitized Products John Kerschner shares his U.S. securitized outlook, identifying the key trends he believes will drive investment returns in the year ahead.
2025 Municipal Bond Outlook: Building a pathway to tax-advantaged income
Join the experts at abrdn as they discuss the nuances of municipal bond investing, how current events are shaping the opportunities for this asset class as we head into 2025, and where municipal bonds may fit within your fixed-income allocation.
Xi Readies Bargaining Chips for US Trade War
China got a head start on a looming trade war with the US by showcasing a new range of tools it’s prepared to use if Donald Trump makes good on his threat to punish the world’s second-biggest economy with tariffs.
Hedge-Fund Startups Dwindle as Managers Battle Pressure on Fees
The near-$5 trillion hedge fund industry is having one of the toughest years in decades in convincing fee-conscious investors to fork out cash for new market players.
Exxon's AI Power Play Aims to Beat Nuclear
To most of us, a power plant is a source of electricity. To Exxon Mobil Corp., it’s a machine that converts natural gas into money. And this is a propitious time for doing that.
Big Tech Is Betting on AI. Should You?
In the two years since ChatGPT burst onto the scene, artificial intelligence has come to dominate investor consciousness more than any other technological breakthrough in the past two decades.
SpaceX Valuation Jumps to About $350 Billion in Insider Deal
SpaceX and its investors have agreed to purchase as much as $1.25 billion of insider shares in a transaction valuing Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite maker at about $350 billion, according to an internal email seen by Bloomberg.
The Future of the Inflation Reduction Act
Republicans have lashed out at the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a landmark package of incentives for clean energy, since it was passed two years ago.
Better Than Expected Economic Data in November
Better than expected economic data in November appears to be thwarting the FOMC's efforts to engineer lower short-term interest rates.
How Artificial Intelligence Can Transform Your Practice
Here are six key areas where AI can make a transformative impact on financial advisory practice.
US Inflation in Line With Forecasts Solidifies Bets on Fed Cut
US consumer prices rose at a firm pace in November that was in line with expectations, solidifying expectations for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates next week.
Treasuries Rise as Inflation Data Fuels Wagers on a Fed Rate Cut
US Treasuries gained and traders boosted their bets on a Federal Reserve interest-rate reduction next week after a report showed consumer prices last month accelerated in line with expectations.
Does Bitcoin at $100,000 Signal a Last Laugh for HODLers?
What is there to say with Bitcoin at $100,000 for those of us who thought $10,000 looked nuts.
From TikTok to Nvidia, the Tech War Is Getting Uglier
ByteDance Ltd.’s options for TikTok in the US are looking increasingly desolate, as the tech war between Washington and Beijing boils over.
Google Rolls Out Faster Gemini AI Model to Power Agents
Google debuted a new version of its flagship artificial intelligence model that it said is twice as fast as its previous version and will power virtual agents that assist users.
Valuations Have Richened, But Areas Outside of Large-Caps Remain Attractive
There are not many attractive opportunities in the US large-cap space. History suggests the market is overdue for a correction.
‘Tis the Season to Be Stressed
For a twist on this week’s column, I will share some stress management techniques I often teach to help mitigate the overwhelming feeling of “I can’t do this all!” and to find ways to enjoy the December rush.
You're Not Listening!
Effective listening can help convert more prospects into clients. Your ability to listen effectively can be the deciding factor in whether they choose to work with you.
Bond Market Opportunities for Investors in 2025
We examine how a potentially complex bond market in 2025 could still offer opportunities in high-yield bonds, municipal bonds, and inflation-protected securities.
2025 U.S. Stocks and Economy Outlook
The U.S. economy and stock market are entering 2025 from a position of strength, but risks of volatility—especially pertaining to policy—are much higher compared to last year.
Market Continues Record Streak: Santa Claus Rally in Full Swing
The Santa Claus rally that started a few weeks back continued as the market logged its 53rd record high for 2024. While the Scrooges bemoaned inflation and tariffs, other investors embraced the strong economic data and loaded their sleds with market returns.
Despite Political Headwinds, Healthcare Stocks Stay Anchored to Innovation
The surprise nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to head healthcare policy in the U.S. caused substantial volatility in November. But despite heightened uncertainty, the sector’s long-term outlook appears intact, say Portfolio Managers Andy Acker and Dan Lyons – giving investors a potential opportunity to invest at attractive valuations.