The stock market’s dramatic recovery so far in 2019, after a dismal fourth quarter of 2018, has left many casual market observers wondering “What changed”? U.S. economic data continues to reflect a modest slowdown, Europe struggles with anemic growth and Brexit uncertainty, and China grapples with a slowing growth rate and enormou...
As an investor with assets primarily in the United States, you are probably weary of following the trials and tribulations of the Brexit drama in the United Kingdom. Since the British electorate voted back in June 2016 to withdraw from the European Union, negotiators for both sides have worked feverishly to address the will of the people without un...
Studies have shown that investors who engage in market timing must achieve a minimum of 70% accuracy in predicting market moves. Even the best “market gurus” who engage in market timing fell far below that level. So what does work for investors who want to avoid losing money during an equity market downturn?
Hedge funds have disappointed investors for almost a decade; even before accounting for fees and taxes, results have trailed a traditional 60 equity/40 bond balanced portfolio over the 10-year period ending in December 2018. A number of large institutions announced their intentions to move away from hedge funds, fed up with subpar results and high ...
Professional investors have long touted the benefits of investing globally in order to expand the opportunity set and diversify the portfolio beyond home country borders. However, investors have largely overlooked a more attractive subset of international equities: small capitalization stocks. Their returns have significantly outpaced large cap int...
The Democrats regained control of the House of Representatives, and the Republicans added to their majority in the Senate. The prospect of a divided Congress, especially in the current hyper-partisan era, is likely to mean very little new legislation enacted in the next two years. Legislative gridlock is generally considered a positive for markets,...
Despite ongoing discussions meant to defuse tensions and a 90-day “truce” between U.S. and China, the trade tariff issue has not gone away. Well-entrenched globalization trends are unlikely to be reversed, but protectionism could weigh on growth. Other global and non-U.S. economic overview includes share declines in oil and other commod...
There is not a lot of data to call upon to glean the performance of direct private investments; however, based on a large, robust study focused on institutional investors, family offices should know that the performance of this type of investing has been mixed at best. In this paper, the second in a three-part series, we examine the peformance of d...
There is a lot to like in the Consumer Discretionary sector, particularly for investors in search of companies with significant growth opportunities and sustainable competitive advantages. With millennials currently representing over a quarter of the U.S. population, their tendencies will have a growing influence on equity markets and play an incre...
Private markets investments remain poised to play an increasingly important role in the portfolios of individual and family investors seeking the compelling long-term outperformance and diversification characteristics of the asset class. Understanding the basics of private markets investments and their construction is the first step toward the succ...
It has been a great start to 2019 in the marketplace, beginning with impact investors making strong returns. Next, notable companies are being acquired or completing IPOs. Opportunity Zones are a hot topic, and many investors have been asking about an OZ fund.
Discussions between the U.S. and China regarding trade and tariff issues remain fluid. Markets are increasingly optimistic that an agreement between the two countries can help restore globalization trends, but protectionism could still weigh on growth. In Europe, the economy continues to report signs of weakness. In the U.S., labor conditions remai...
Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ) offer taxable investors the potential for deferral of existing gains and tax-free growth. Though the basic provisions of the tax incentive are known, the rules remain unclear and regulatory risks persist. While the existence of a tax incentive can make a good investment even better, investment decisions should not ...
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 opportunit...
Financial markets look more buoyant than in the closing weeks of 2018. High levels of market volatility have been tamed by central bank moderation, with equity indices having had a roaring start of the year. However, looking beyond immediate market sentiment, how much has really changed? The six key investment themes at the start of the year p...