The S&P 500. Bitcoin. The VIX Index. Most investors are aware of these markets and indicators that they are stretching to record levels. It is an environment ripe with optimism (some say speculation), impacting all asset classes in all geographies. Equities and bitcoin dominate the headlines, but there are other developments in the financial markets …
Continue reading “Highs & Lows: 5 Lesser-Known Markets Hitting Extremes”
Investing in emerging market local currency bonds is not easy. To be successful it requires delicately balancing exposures to credit, interest rates and currency movement. Click here to read the entire post on Forbes
Investors have a lot to be thankful for this year. Those who own risk assets are particularly happy. 2017, at least so far, has made many investors look smart: if you were invested in a diversified portfolio, chances are you are quite pleased with yourself. Click here to read the entire article on Forbes
If you had a copy of the Wall Street Journal a day in advance, do you think you could use the information to predict the direction of the stock market? It would be like shooting fish in a barrel, right? I can tell you from experience – it’s not as easy as it sounds. Click here to …
Virtually every investor has at least some exposure to investment grade fixed income. The size of the exposure is a function of investment goals, need for cash flow, and the desire for “safety.” Changing dynamics in the bond market have made such allocations riskier than in the past. Investors should beware. Click here to read …
Continue reading “Hidden Danger: The Bond Market Is Riskier Than You Think”
With the S&P 500 hitting new highs, the valuation debate is getting more intense. Some say the market is rich, pointing to lofty levels of cyclically adjusted price-earnings ratios. Others say it is fairly valued, sighting its relative cheapness to the bond market. Few will argue the equity market is complacent. Sentiment indicators, including the put/call …
Continue reading “3 Reasons The VIX Is Low And Why It May Stay That Way”
The U.S. markets are closed today. The UN Security Council is not. It met this morning to discuss the latest provocations of North Korea and the recent test of a hydrogen bomb. The Security Council has met 10 times this year already to discuss the issue. Are we any closer to a tipping point and …
Continue reading “North Korea And The Markets: The Big Risk Is Trade”
Investing involves numbers. There is no getting around the need for basic math. Academics and derivatives nerds sometimes make the process unnecessarily complicated. Most investors don’t need such a high level of sophistication to invest successfully. Click to read the entire article on Forbes
The Bank for International Settlements, the BIS, just released a 47-page report on the impact of changing global demographics, and if their predictions are correct, it will mean higher interest rates and slower growth for most developed nations. The statistical study of how populations age by extrapolating fertility rates and life expectancy, known as demographics, …
Continue reading “Can Demographics Predict The Next Interest Rate Cycle?”
Artificial intelligence. Big data. ETFs. Smart beta. Systematic trading. They will destroy hedge funds and the active management industry. That seems to be the prevailing view from the media. Indeed, these are very powerful forces causing change, but there is a big difference between an industry in transformation and an industry about to die. Click …
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