As implementation of the Department of Labor (DOL) fiduciary
rule draws nearer, Manning & Napier has launched its “Evolutionary
Fiduciary” campaign, designed to help advisers evolve with the regulation.
The campaign is intended to highlight the shifting fiduciary
landscape and influencers advising best practices, for instance, markets,
regulators and litigators; and will include features such as a microsite with
fiduciary handbooks for IRA advisers and plan sponsors; FAQs; and forms for
visitors to ask specific queries. Manning & Napier’s fiduciary experts will
answer all adviser questions, as well as update the microsite frequently, as
the April 2017 deadline approaches.
“While advisers will look to their broker dealer for assistance with
technical compliance, there are fewer resources available to help advisers
refine their fiduciary practices under the new regulatory framework,” says
Shelby George, senior vice president of Advisor Services at Manning &
Napier. “We launched this campaign to help advisers go beyond understanding
what is in the best interest of the average investor. We want to help advisers
identify and meet the specific objectives of each unique client through
changing environments.”
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Late Tuesday
night, when it became apparent that Donald Trump would win the presidency, the
S&P 500 Index futures plummeted nearly 5%, notes Bob Doll, senior portfolio
manager and chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management.
However, the
following morning, after President-elect Trump gave a “gracious and pragmatic
victory speech” in which he emphasized economic investments and tax reform, investors
moved away from “defensive and yield-oriented sectors to economically sensitive
cyclicals,” Doll says. Certainly, part of the boost was due to the fact that
nearly 90% of companies have reported their third-quarter earnings, with
average per-share gains beating expectations by six percentage points, Doll
notes.
In the past
week, the S&P 500 Index has climbed 3.9%–with the biggest gains among
financial stocks (11%), industrials (8%) and health care (6%), Doll notes. In
contrast, “utilities fell 4%, consumer staples were down 2% and REITS were off
by 1%,” he says.
Monday
evening, Doll issued an outline of 10 investment themes that might play out
following Trump’s surprising win, beginning with Doll’s expectations that “equity
markets may remain generally positive toward Trump’s victory—for now.” Doll
attributes this to Trump’s plans for tax reform and deregulation, which will
help American corporations and could certainly boost the economy.
NEXT: Pressure on bond yields
Doll, and
others, expect that a Trump presidency could lead to higher inflation and a
more hawkish Federal Reserve, and this will translate to an increase in the
Treasury yield.
Third, Doll
will be watching to see if Trump emphasizes tax reform over protectionist trade
and immigration policies. The former, he says, would invigorate stocks, while
the latter would put a damper on them.
Fourth, even
with a GOP-controlled Congress, Trump will need to prioritize what he wants to
accomplish in his first 100 days, Doll notes. Thus, he will be paying close
attention to “whether it is repealing and replacing Omabacare, tax reform,
judicial appointments, deregulation, infrastructure spending, immigration,
trade policies or other issues.”
As a fifth point, Doll raises three areas where he hopes Trump
concentrates on to give a much-needed lift to American businesses:
corporate tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure spending.
If these are
the issues that Trump champions, Doll fully expects GDP growth, which has
averaged a sluggish 2% a year since the end of the Great Recession, to considerably
increase.
Sixth, “Corporate
tax reform is very high on the agenda for both Donald Trump and Congressional
leaders,” Doll says. “We expect Republicans will try to collaborate with
Democrats on a comprehensive plan that includes individual tax reforms and will
seek to pass legislation without using the budget reconciliation process.
NEXT: The deficit challenge
Seventh, one
obstacle that the Trump presidency will certainly face is the $600 billion
federal budget deficit, Doll notes. “This will, no doubt, complicate President
Trump’s efforts,” he says.
Equity sectors that Doll expects will thrive
under a Trump administration are health care and financials. On the other hand,
he says, “utilities and consumer staples may struggle.”
Ninth, Doll doesn’t fail to underscore Trump’s position as an unconventional
outsider. While he owes nothing to Washington power brokers, “he is estranged
from key leaders in his own party and has virtually no relationships with
Democrats. All of this is likely to contribute to uncertainty and volatility.”
Finally, key decisions that Trump has touched on throughout his campaign are
likely to “fuel greater volatility,” Doll says—most notably the future of
NAFTA, NATO, trade with China, health care reform and a continued investigation
into Hillary Clinton.
“We are retaining our cautiously optimistic view toward equities and other risk
assets, but it would be premature to become more aggressive until we see
greater clarity around the priorities for President Trump and Congress,” Doll concludes.
“That said, we continue to believe stocks will outperform bonds and cash in the
coming year and think it makes sense to retain overweight positions in
equities.”