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Investors awoke from their multi-year slumber in late January to a nasty reminder that stock prices are volatile. After a period of calm in the stock markets that rivals the longest in recorded history, a jump in average hourly earnings and the recent backup in bond yields refocused investor concern on the prospect of higher inflation down the road...

The Trump administration’s recent effort to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports into the United States has provoked a significant backlash among free-market economists, business leaders, and Republicans in Congress, among others. They worry that the imposition of protectionist measures designed to insulate domestic manufacturers from...

As the economic cycle progresses, the next recession draws inexorably closer and brings with it the next downturn in the credit cycle. Recognizing this, institutional investors are increasingly considering allocations to distressed debt managers. While lumping all distressed managers into one group is tempting, different managers have meaningfully ...

Following the first negative quarter for domestic stocks since 2015, the second quarter of 2018 began on a sour note, with the S&P 500 Index falling 2.2 percent and the technology-heavy NASDAQ dropping 2.7 percent today. Consumer discretionary stocks were also notably weak performers while international stocks fared only slightly better than th...

The United States has been the world’s undisputed economic superpower for more than a hundred years. Yet in the long arc of history, that dominance has been relatively brief. For thousands of years, China stood as the world’s economic leader and a true global power. For that reason, many Chinese believe that the United States’ eco...

Family office investment vehicles often are organized as limited partnerships or LLCs treated as partnerships for federal income tax purposes. Typically, the manager of such a partnership receives an interest in the partnership’s profits (a carried interest) in connection with the management services, in addition to management fees paid by th...

One of the most important elements in portfolio construction is positioning the portfolio properly to allow it to meet personal and investment liquidity needs under various market conditions. Understanding how volatility impacts cash management—including reviewing cash flow sources and uses typically contained in liquidity planning—is c...

For centuries, corporate and consumer lending has followed a traditional model in which financial institutions act as centralized counterparties, making loans funded by deposits. Around 2006, this model was turned on its head by a new breed of fintech companies leveraging the network effect of the internet to directly connect lenders with borrowers...

The purpose of the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program is to attract private investment to communities lacking adequate access to capital and experiencing vacant commercial properties, outdated manufacturing facilities and/or inadequate access to education, health care, healthy food and other basic social services. Different Community Development...

Over the past year, the improved picture of the financial services community has been predicated on rising interest rates, strong financial conditions, modest inflation and an overall improving economy. Recently, a flattening yield curve has fostered concern about a premature end to the positive business cycle. However, things are not quite what th...

As part of federal tax reform, Congress created a new “Qualified Opportunity Zone” program to encourage investment in businesses that are located in low-income communities. Under this program, a taxpayer who recognizes gain on the sale of property (including, for example, investment assets such as stock or other security interests, and ...

Housing demand in the United States remains brisk even as issues with supply and affordability mount, particularly in the West. Solid sales and consumption are forecasted throughout the economy this year, with housing starts sustained near their current level of 1.25 million at an annualized pace. The Real Economy also offers a look at government r...

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) gets more sophisticated and weaves further into the fabric of human existence, what are the implications for work and society? How will AI, its evolution, and some of its potential future mind-bending possibilities impact investors? While the answers are beyond the reach of a single article, having a better understan...

Families of wealth and business-owning families face security risks in their everyday lives, where personal and business risks are often blended and are typically managed by different people and processes. This creates a gap in identifying risks and solutions that can be addressed through a holistic and collaborative risk management approach. With ...

Lending to middle market companies in the U.S. and in Europe has shifted due to structural changes and evolving risk tolerances in each respective banking system. The emergence of direct lending as an established asset class is here to stay, and given the recent inflow of new entrants into the sector, it is imperative that investors select managers...