U.S. inflation is at its highest in four decades due to COVID-19-induced spending on goods, supply-chain issues, fiscal stimulus from the government, and very accommodative monetary policy from the Federal Reserve. But unlike last time when inflation was high, some key drivers of the current inflation are expected to fade. However, several forces a...
Most of us are familiar with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as the headline measure of inflation. However, at the January 2012 Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed declared it would use the Personal Consumption Expenditure price index (PCE). Since the indexes are calculated differently in weight, scope, and formula, it will yield different measur...
ESG—the environmental, social, and governance factor can serve as a great opportunity and platform to do better while improving your business on multiple levels. In this podcast episode, host Damien Martin sits down with guest Dirk Cockrum to define ESG, explain its potential effects, describe various ESG frameworks, and share how to get star...
We’ve all heard the terms “quiet quitting,” “quiet firing,” and the “great resignation” that point to the need for better employee engagement, which is a state of mind in which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and want to put discretionary effort into their work. In this webcast, Cheryl Kuch at Rehmann ...
With depression affecting as many as one in three adults, greater attention has been given to mental health in the workplace—including the impact poor mental health has on workplace morale, culture, and healthcare costs. Workplace culture initiatives that address and support employee mental health needs boost employee engagement, productivity, and ...
Investors have been looking for a recession amidst rising interest rates and expectations for slowing growth, but continued growth in much of the economy and resilient investment performance in 2023 has made for a very murky economic puzzle going forward. Exogenous factors such as geopolitical instability, deglobalization, and continuing risk of a ...
The global economy faced a high degree of difficulty in 2023, but it earned high marks with continued growth, labor markets remaining strong, and declining inflation amid the ongoing expansion. The soft-landing narrative has considerable allure, but the three-year-old expansion is vulnerable. Higher interest rates are exacting an increasing toll, a...
The tech industry has been undergoing a difficult period. Economic instability, high inflation, and rising interest rates have prompted tech companies to reevaluate their business strategies, adjust their growth plans, and revisit their staffing models. At the same time, there have been remarkable advancements with generative artificial intelligenc...
Several years on from the pandemic, the global economy is still wrestling with the repercussions. While investors will hope for the best in 2024, macro analyst Richard de Chazal examines the resiliency of the markets against a crowded backdrop of Fed policy uncertainty, inflation, bond market and economic dynamics, and other factors each of which w...
Sound money is the result when interest rates are above the rate of inflation, a development that is expected to persist in the years ahead. In the meantime, the transition to a higher interest rate environment has no doubt challenged investors, who have endured historical losses in bonds and high volatility in stocks. But make no mistake: This str...
Rising global rates, a strong U.S. dollar, and tightening liquidity conditions have weighed on sentiment in emerging markets (EMs). But EMs may be regaining their footing as easier monetary conditions could drive growth in 2024 for both equities and debt alike. Any recovery, however, is unlikely to be uniform. As a new cycle unfolds, we expect the ...
As private equity (PE) fund managers and portfolio companies look ahead in 2024, they anticipate a changing exit landscape, hurdles in meeting their investment theses, and ongoing talent obstacles. To meet the inevitable dealmaking challenges (and opportunities), there are 5 PE trends to keep in mind: (1) the ramifications of the U.S. presiden...
Seasoned investors know that you cannot predict the future of the markets. But smart private wealth managers know that the key to preserving and growing wealth is to anticipate critical trends that are likely to have a lasting impact. Where trends are concerned, 2024 has a lot brewing around the geopolitical conflicts, the explosion of artificial i...
The wealthy face compounding risks and a growing gap in protecting what they value most. Their insurance planning and coverage requires more customization—especially for assets that carry an emotional value. This research study examines the growing gap between what successful individuals and families value and how they choose to protect it against ...
The uneven historic GDP growth, deflation, and low corporate productivity have made Japan a tough market for investors. But given the strong performance in 2023, the Japanese market is changing. Starting with Abenomics more than a decade ago and the more recent initiatives by Japanese stock exchanges, the tangible changes in Japan are attracting in...