Thank goodness the U.S. election is over so we can all stop slinging arrows at each other and get on with our lives for at least the next 18 months. America is divided, where roughly half the voters wanted him and the other half wanted her. America got him. So what does that mean if you are a private markets investor, especially if you are an impact/cleantech investor?
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As the benefits and capabilities of the Internet of Things (IoT) accrue, so does the amount of data that must be collected, managed, and integrated with connected devices—and by enterprises everywhere. It’s a challenge that demands a new kind of digital trust and data sharing tradeoffs. For more insights from this IoT series, see:
On November 8, 2016, millions of Americans will cast their votes for the next U.S. President. In considering how the new political environment in 2017 will impact the investment landscape, it’s important to keep in mind the words of legendary investor Benjamin Graham: “In the short run the market is a voting machine, but in the long run it is a weighing machine.” Graham was warning investors to avoid focusing on a single-event outcome to the exclusion of other factors.
Chief Investment Officer David Donabedian recaps the first half of 2016 and provides an outlook for economic activity and financial markets in the third quarter of the year. The issues that will have the most impact on the financial markets over the next 12 months are:
With the U.S. elections front and center in the minds of most investors around the world, we focus this edition of Global Foresight on the potential outcomes of the November 8, 2016 vote and discuss how the elections could impact the composition of the Supreme Court, legislative priorities for the next Congress and the U.S. Federal Reserve.
The social and political volatility witnessed last year is rooted in trends and phenomena that have been building up for more than a decade. It has altered the political agenda in advanced economies and emerging markets alike. Companies need to think hard about the structural shifts that may confront them in five specific areas: security of company property, ease of doing business, viability of strategic investments, strength of corporate reputation, and cohesiveness of their workforce.
Political events in 2016 gave rise to increasing nationalism and populism globally. Combined with a global slowdown in economic and trade growth, international integration may already have plateaued and could begin to reverse over the coming decade. Multinational organizations should prepare for potentially significant implications by carefully considering the political threats in the countries in which they operate.
The Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s unexpected 2016 election victory have kicked off a wave of pro-nationalist sentiment across the globe. With several key Eurozone countries facing elections in 2017, leading economists and investors envision a possible reshuffling (and even a potential demise) of the European Union. Volatility typically accompanies political transitions, and investors should review their objectives and adjust accordingly. Remember that what goes down often comes back up—eventually.
Fund groups face disruptive developments, as advances in financial technology, often called fintech, continue at an ever more rapid pace. Even as new efficiencies and opportunities blossom, regulators have pushed financial firms to recognize the dangers of technological failures. To prepare for the changes ushered in by fintech, it is important for fund boards, investment managers and separate account advisers to have a deep understanding of the issues and risks surrounding Fintech developments.
In an illustrative, legal analysis on the ownership treatment of bitcoin under the U.S. State property law, the focus turns to California law for guidance on whether bitcoin ownership should be recognized as a property right. Although there are possible challenges to treating bitcoin as property, they do not undercut the legitimacy of such rights or create unmanageable enforcement issues.