On June 5, 2014, the European Central Bank crossed an important symbolic line by announcing plans to reduce the policy interest rate into negative territory. Included in this announcement was a host of complementary but nontraditional policy measures, completing the picture of a committee stretching for greater impact.The author believes that:
Research on income equality and social mobility yields compelling conclusions in support of both sides of the debate. For now, regardless of how the research evolves, it is safe to expect the U.S. will enter an environment of higher personal tax rates with further redistribution in the cards, something investors need to consider when weighing the merits of whether to realize or defer income and capital gains.
Each year Asset Consulting Group takes a detailed research approach to this question and updates its Active vs. Passive analysis using manager universe information from eVestment Alliance’s subscription database. This database provides qualitative and quantitative information for approximately 45,500 products (strategies) submitted by approximately 8,500 firms.
Today’s broad stock market is not a bubble. However, by virtue of its duration and current valuations, equities are in the mature phase of a bull market. That means a more sober pace of advance, with a lot riding on the economy and monetary policy.The author, Atlantic Trust Private Wealth Management, examines several crosscurrents that are bound to create bouts of volatility, and also investment opportunity, across markets.
Headlines about the financial stress on municipalities — combined with high profile downgrades, defaults and even bankruptcies — have led many to believe that high yield issuers must be in financial distress. The author, Nuveen Asset Management, believes that is generally not the case and explains why in this paper.Nuveen believes that thorough fundamental research can help an investor understand risks and identify opportunities and capitalize upon the inefficiencies in this misunderstood asset class.
Now in its sixth year, the current bull market is oft considered due for correction, with investors wondering how much further the rally can go. For this reason, it is useful to test the claimed causes associated with lapsing bull markets. Conventional wisdom suggests bull markets end due to: age, recessions, monetary tightening, extreme valuations, and exogenous shocks.
In the second quarter 2014 issue of Rockefeller & Co.’s Global Foresight, entitled “Mapping Out the Future,” David P. Harris, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, and Jimmy C. Chang, CFA, Chief Equity Strategist, take a closer look at potential opportunities within the generally-struggling emerging markets and contrast them to the developed markets.
Four investment “styles” – Value, Momentum, Carry, and Defensive – have emerged as compelling sources of alternative returns, backed by economic theory and decades of data across geographies and asset groups. When applied as long-short strategies, these styles have delivered positive long-term returns across multiple asset groups and markets, with low correlations to other investments.
Following an unusually frigid winter, the weather has borne the brunt of blame for weakened economic statistics. While anecdotal evidence is overwhelming, identifying and quantifying the effects of the weather on economic data is difficult. In this white paper, Glenmede argues that the slowing economic growth of recent months reflects fundamental conditions rather than one-off weather effects, and they are watching for signs that portfolio risk levels should be lowered.
This edition of Altair Insight, a quarterly market review from Altair Advisers, explores the following key topics: