Market Snapshot
Japanese stocks rally on election result
A good quarter for rates and spreads as the bond market inches along
The third quarter produced constructive bond market performance with the Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index registering a 2.03% total return. The environment was positive for each of the major sub-sectors: US Treasurys, corporates (both investment grade (IG) and high yield (HY) and mortgage-backed securities. In fact, it’s hard to find a sector of the bond market […]
Lots of game left as we enter the fourth quarter
Investors anticipating a continuing rate cut cycle sometimes act like fans filling the stadium all dressed in white for the big home game. Confidence is high and may not reflect the underlying odds. After an up and down first three quarters of the year, as more of President Donald Trump’s policies begin to take effect, […]
Where can bond investors find value in a rate-cutting cycle?
Chartology
The end of exorbitant privilege?
EMD report Q3 2025
Index investing and Dr. Frankenstein’s creation
Introduced in 1957, the S&P 500 is the most widely cited US equity index, with more money managed to it, by far, than any other benchmark. As such, it has become a proxy for the health of US investors, corporate America and the overall economy. Initially a tool for measurement and understanding, the S&P has […]
ECB holds rates as France struggles with debt crisis
market snapshot
How far does the Fed’s influence extend?
Considerable airtime, ink and pixels have been devoted to when the Federal Reserve (Fed) will resume its easing cycle. Chair Jerome Powell’s speech in Jackson Hole has certainly put the September meeting in play. But while Fed policy definitely impacts interest rates in the 0-2-year space, the influence out the US Treasury yield curve varies […]
Future looks brighter for Germany
Germany’s economy has long been stagnant. With real GDP up just 0.3% since the fourth quarter of 2019 (versus a 12.0% gain in the US), it was beginning to look again like the ‘sick man of Europe,’ a label it acquired in the late 1990s. The country has been buffeted since Covid by multiple shocks: […]
What sets quant apart from traditional investors?
Video transcript Actively managed investment funds bring the expertise of professional portfolio management to the masses. So, how do the stock pickers of equity funds decide where to invest their clients’ money? Well, it depends on the fund, but many of the approaches fall into two categories: traditional human-led bottom-up investing and the wide spectrum […]
