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The familiar cliché that hindsight is 20/20 seems particularly apt as we step into the year 2020 and look back on the decade of the 2010s. Throughout the past 10 years, we returned time and time again to principles and themes that we considered vital for success not just in this decade, but any decade. Revisiting the core principles and themes, whi...

As part of the investment review process, there is the identification of key areas of focus or themes that will drive investment returns over the immediate term. This quarterly update highlights market and economic considerations relevant in the context of enhancing risk-adjusted outcomes, beginning with evolving global growth dynamics.

Climate change occurs slowly over time, which may make it an easy risk factor for investors to ignore. Recent studies suggest that climate change will have a negative economic impact on long-term global GDP. Over the shorter term, investor concerns about global warming may be priced into their assessment of stocks and bonds. As with any long-term s...

Much of the trade conflict between the U.S. and China can be traced to China’s desire to be a technological power. It is difficult for China to do much more than play catch-up in established technology like semiconductors, where improvements are incremental. Still, emerging technologies such as AI, robotics, quantum computing, and next-gen IT...

In this exclusive chat with Mellody Hobson, the President and co-CEO of Ariel Investments, speaks candidly about the importance and value of diversity in finance—how being color brave can improve business and society at large. Mellody shares personal stories and lessons learned from her investment career, including the disconnect tha...

The commodities market appears to be recovering, but will it continue to improve throughout 2020? Find out which economic factors will drive—or sink—the asset class.

Direct indexing has been called the ETF killer, ETF 2.0, and a catalyst that will bring an end to commingled investment vehicles. But to make proper use of all its benefits, the script must be flipped on the narrative of direct indexing to show not only the importance of customization but also that its value comes from understanding how and when to...

Despite reduced return expectations in 2020, municipals should remain a valuable building block of an investor's portfolio due to their attractive tax-adjusted yields, diversification benefits, and improving credit characteristics. For investors in high tax brackets, municipals are a great place to get it.

Shareholder engagement is not a new activity, and it is on the rise in 2020 as millennials continue to drive more interest in responsible investing. Today’s investors see the shareholder engagement as an even more powerful tool—one that can have a direct impact on corporate behaviors and business activities, and therefore, general ...

As families explore investment opportunities in real property, many are turning to farmland for a portion of their portfolio. It is a unique class of real property that performs best as a long-term hold that carries with it a counter cyclical performance to stock investments. The application of best practices in this different type of ownershi...

The equity markets took a painful hit at the end of February this year as fears about the coronavirus drove investors out of stocks and into correction territory. As one would expect, the impact and outlook for each asset class varies based upon the underlying exposures, market drivers, and pricing dynamics. We summarize the developments surroundin...

From a historical perspective, the odds for a strong volatility risk premium (the "VRP") in 2020 are in your favor. Although it can't be predicted with any level of certainty the returns derived from exposure to the VRP this year, the range of likely outcomes can be determined based on empirical evidence while respecting known and unk...

In a time of equity market volatility, municipal bonds are doing what they’re supposed to do: diversify portfolios. Learn what may come next in the muni market.

In a world of low expected returns, finding alpha becomes more important than ever. Given the significant amount of capital looking for alpha in private markets, family offices will need to bridge the performance gap in this slower growth environment by leveraging their longer time horizon and partnering with experts in private market investments. ...

As equity markets catch a nasty case of the coronavirus, what’s an investor to do? Four things to focus on amid the downturn.