Russell

Best Blogs of the Week #197

Two excellent posts (titled as questions no less) helpful to any FA updating client asset allocations.

Is it Time to Buy Commodities? –BlackRock

“… meaning that commodity prices are likely to remain under some pressure. This suggests that for investors, the better opportunity may be in the companies that produce the commodities, rather than in the commodities themselves.”

Are your clients wondering if it’s too late to invest? –Russell

“I asked some of our blog readers how many times they thought the stock market had made a new daily high over the last 20 years. I have to admit that I was surprised by the answer.”

Best Blogs of the Week #193

Greece! Our industry’s bloggers are covering the potential Grexit like nothing ever before. At this (blogging) trajectory, I can only imagine the volume around our US 2016 Presidential election.

By my count, 14 firms dedicated at least 1 post to Greece. Here they are, listed from newest (hence most relevant) to oldest. Only two make an actual prediction on Greece leaving the Europe. Follow us on Twitter to see which two (or read all 14 posts).

Best Blogs of the Week vol 190

We cover five posts this week, three (fixed income transparency, LDI within DB plans, and taxes on international investing) posts offer in-depth analysis on topics rarely covered by the industry’s blogs. We also welcome Lord Abbett. First time one of their posts made the cut.

Bonds: Is More Transparency Better? –Lord Abbett

“… TRACE may be leading to a reduction in liquidity in the corporate bond markets.”

Sortino Ratios Measure Risk the Way Investors Do –Oppenheimer (Sortino Ratio Revealed!)

“This tool – the Sortino ratio – addresses one of the limitations of the Sharpe ratio and looks at the returns that investments deliver only in relation to their volatility during down markets.”

Data in China Points to a Significant Slowdown –Oppenheimer (Chinese Economy Slowdown … in charts!)

“Looking at the Chinese data from these two perspectives provides a stark reminder of how severe the slowdown is.”

International investing doesn’t have to be a tax burden –Russell

“The real reason international equities are typically tax inefficient is due to poor tax management by money managers.”

Surprise ingredient for an LDI recipe: A pinch of global min vol—as an equity suballocation? –Vanguard (Volatility Consideration for Large DB Plans)

“For all but frozen plans near termination, we advise a return-seeking and a liability-hedging asset allocation.”

Best Blogs of the Week vol 186

 

This week’s posts cover multiple topics.

What a Rate Hike May Mean for Stocks –BlackRock

“markets characterized by multiple expansion—in other words, when investors are paying more per dollar of earnings—are more vulnerable to a change in monetary conditions.”

China is Choking on its Own Debt –Loomis Sayles

“It’s difficult to remember the last time so many paid so little attention to something so vitally important.”

Is ESG a non-financial issue? Or a future financial issue? –Russell

“Typical investment structures at present do not necessarily capture the potential impact of ESG factors.”

When the dollar is strong, look to small caps –Wells Fargo

“In the short run, we expect larger-cap companies to feel the effects of the stronger dollar.”