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The inversion yield curve is widely viewed as one of the most reliable and accurate predictors of economic slowdown. The traditional warning sign has garnered significant attention and has intensified the debate on where we are at in the economy. If you follow the financial media, you have most likely been exposed to some of these deliberations. What follows is a primer on what the yield curve is, some perspective on what an inversion has meant in the past, and whether investors should care.

The economic impact of the tax cut peaked in October 2018 and is now fading. If a bipartisan U.S. federal budget agreement cannot be reached before the end of 2019, a $126 billion fiscal cliff awaits the U.S. economy in the 2020 fiscal year, and will begin acting as a drag on overall growth later in 2019. A review of leading indicators of economic activity can provide critical insight as the U.S. economy heads into the late innings of this current business cycle.

Veronica and Greg share how investments in their donor-advised fund account have grown over the years, which has enabled them to give even more to the causes they care about.

REITs’ recent strong relative performance highlights the potential benefits of having defensive, lease-based revenues, and high dividend yields in an environment of heightened uncertainty. As investors look to protect their portfolios from what may be a more challenging and volatile environment, we believe a 10-15% allocation to REITs can be part of the solution. REITs provide a compelling way to diversify in today’s market, offering attractive relative valuations, low correlations with equities, and the backing of robust demand in the private market.

An increasingly popular way to reduce taxes generally is to invest in Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs), but little is discussed about how QOZs can be utilized to shift appreciation of wealth over time to future generations. Investors have various options to transfer interests in QOZs to future generations tax efficiently. With this new opportunity available, there are a few items to evaluate: What is the value of the QOZ over time? Why would you transfer the QOZ interest? What are things to be aware of when making this decision?

Over the past two decades, China’s success has benefited from both external and internal factors, being globalization and domestic market-oriented reforms. Recent years saw these factors gradually changing to affect China’s growth dynamics, and such impact will continue to exist in the medium to long term.

Financial markets were exceptionally strong in the first quarter of 2019. Nearly all major asset classes posted returns so positive that they virtually wiped out losses from the difficult fourth quarter of 2018. But will that kind of return be it for 2019?