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2020 was a chaotic year for many industries and the COVID-19 pandemic created a host of challenges for providers in the home health and hospice space. For investors and business owners in that space, the year ended with robust M&A activity in the hospice sector while the home health M&A activity remained dormant. Looking at the trends and challenges of 2020, what can investors and business owners expect in 2021?

Regardless of the sector, nearly every healthcare organization has made significant investments in technology, as data and computing became essential in the healthcare setting during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the pandemic, healthcare IT saw an uptick in M&A activity in certain sub-sectors. For those looking at potential investment deals in the healthcare sector, what can they learn from the trends in 2020 and what can they expect in 2021?

U.S. stock market performance, as measured by the S&P 500, has been driven by a small number of stocks over the past few years. The top five holdings now represent 21.9% of the S&P 500 as of December 31, 2020. It is also striking that each of the top five holdings share a common theme: technology and e-commerce. While investors shouldn’t give up on the S&P 500, there are possible alternatives that investors might want to consider.

The events of the last year have made the traditionally predictable world of real estate more chaotic and unclear. For family offices that invest in real estate, it means recognizing that every phase of their real estate investment brings on risk that can threaten its success and reputation. To remain competitive in the market, it is time to reflect on the past year, chart a course for success, and evaluate the risk philosophy and strategies.

In an uncertain market where each unfolding economic disruption is met with increasingly emboldened central bank intervention, economists are predicting accelerating declines in the value of all fiat currencies, including—and perhaps especially—in the U.S. dollar. Is gold the only way out for central banks looking to hedge their balance sheet? What about the individual investment portfolio? Where do the big banks think gold and silver are going in 2021?

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, this roundtable discussion was centered around faith-based institutions that seek to align their investments with the belief systems that guide their organizations while also being held accountable by their philanthropic donors. The diversity of the six participants—ranging in size and scale, complexity, geography, and faith—led to a robust discussion yielding multiple perspectives on the imminent challenges of COVID-19, faith-based initiatives, and three key takeaways on navigating the new landscape.

Even prior to COVID-19, China’s economy had been growing at a faster pace than the rest of the world. In 2020, Chinese equities outperformed most global equity markets, particularly emerging markets. China’s domestic (A-share) equity market remains relatively untapped by foreign investors. With U.S Large Cap equities dominating for the last decade, China’s domestic equities may present opportunities going forward.

Based on a 10-year investment time horizon and the impact of COVID-19, the overall results of the 2021 capital market return assumptions are mixed for approximately 50 asset classes around the world. This report guides investors in developing their long-term strategic asset allocations.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are the latest advancement in the ongoing evolution of the blockchain market. Putting this phenomenon into context, a series of papers will examine NFTs from various perspectives, including the legal issues arising from this new technology. This paper is part one in the series: introducing NFTs from the technological and market perspectives.

The challenging market environment and the fear of several interest rate increases by the U.S. Federal Reserve in 2022 has led to a sell-off in global equities. Concurrently, the U.S. is facing inflation rates not seen in more than 40 years, adding to investor concerns. The Dollar's resilience continues to negatively impact Non-Dollar investment returns for U.S. investors.