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Last week, markets were caught on the wrong foot by the latest package of measures by the European Central Bank (ECB). There was no headline increase of monthly asset purchases, which are currently at EUR 60bn. Since then, investors have grown used to ECB President Mario Draghi over-delivering, earning him the nickname “Super Mario”. Wh...

The family wealth industry is at a strategic inflection point with a future that’s both bright and turbulent. Wealth professionals will face challenges driven by the rising complexity of the families they serve and the imperative to evolve quickly and serve a broader range of their clients’ needs and expectations. &nbsp...

India's private equity market offers opportunities for investors who are focused, patient, opportunistic and agile. Success requires being familiar both with the economy's internal currents and target companies as money is abundant but trust is harder to come by.

Behavioral finance theory offers some compelling explanations for financial crises, including the most recent one. Supplementing standard finance theory with behavioral and psychological criteria can help clarify investors' decision-making processes and explain the influence of behavioral biases in stock market crashes.

We recently have taken an increasing interest in housing and housing-related investment opportunities. While we cannot state with certainty when the recovery will come, we see a road towards redemption and investment opportunities while the market gradually improves.

Municipal securities continue to provide yields in excess of Treasuries, despite their tax-favored status. For tax-exempt accounts, we continue to see opportunities in corporate debt, both investment grade and the highest quality non-investment grade, as well as in select international sovereign debt issues.

The change in market psychology since the 2010 elections and the passage of year-end legislation to renew the Bush administration tax cuts should continue setting a positive tone for financial markets in 2011. We expect an expanding domestic economy, coupled with continued dynamism in the developing world, to set equity markets up for continued gai...

The combination of an enhanced European-level policy response, fiscal austerity and structural reform at the national level, plus a more broad-based and secure economic recovery, should bring normalization to the Euro-area sovereign debt crisis by 2012. But if one or more of these expectations is not realized, the crisis may intensify.

Inflation in emerging economies will remain a concern in the near term but could peak much sooner than expected as tighter monetary policies take hold. The rise in input costs around the globe could potentially impact profit margins; however, low wage growth, positive operating leverage and modest pricing power likely will buffer the downside in mo...

Internal conflicts in Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain and Libya have increased political risk and negative economic costs, warranting downgrades in sovereign debt ratings and continuing negative outlooks. But political change could ultimately be positive since governments with greater legitimacy tend to be more resilient to economic and other shocks.

When the Fed ceases its massive buy program in July, it will be a de facto increase in interest rates. Who is going to step in and fill the void? The conclusion of QE2 is a well known fact, but are the consequences well understood and is this the only market dynamic that will push rates higher?

Corporate profits for firms in the S&P 500 have marched upward for six straight quarters from early 2009. Indeed, with the reports almost all in for the fourth quarter of 2010, corporate profits advanced 38% from the prior year. With this growth in earnings, we believe the value of equities remains attractive at 13.6 times forward estimated earning...

The short-term uncertainty in the financial markets is likely to rise, and investors will likely be looking to raise liquidity, especially given the continued turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa and the trade deficit hiccup in China. That said, we do not expect the engine of global growth to stall anytime soon. We would view weaknesses in t...

We expect 2011 growth will fall into the lower end of the 3.25% to 3.75% range. Pockets of economic weakness are likely to persist – in unemployment, housing and consumer confidence – but the general economic climate is far healthier than was the case a year ago. Political and geo-political issues, we believe, are the most significant threats to co...

It may be difficult for consumers to sustain current spending levels given the sticker shock of prices at the pump. Add to the mix a move higher in interest rates, cuts in unemployment benefits and other services, and a restructuring of the Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid system as we know it, and it would seem the downside risks to growth ar...