Big Market Swings Always Raise Big Questions
April was a hard month for the markets, and the beginning of May has been even more brutal, but investment experts still see room for tempered optimism about the remainder of the year.
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2021 Was Another Banner Year for Retirement Savers
Employer-sponsored retirement plans and individual retirement accounts reached almost $40 trillion in total assets by the end of last year, even as a recovering economy faced some key pain points, according to new data released by the Investment Company Institute.
Little-Known Risk Threatens Baby Boomers Golden Years
Though their solutions and strategies vary, advisers agree that sequence of returns risk can devastate a retirement portfolio.
Data & Research
Latest Guide to Retirement Underscores Changing Landscape
J.P. Morgan says retiree income replacement needs have risen across the income spectrum and now range from 72% to 98%, depending on factors such as pre-retirement income level and location.
Promising Post-Pandemic Alternative Asset Classes
Experts say the COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on certain alts that, at this juncture, have not been widely embraced by institutional investors.
A Status Report on Private Equity in Defined Contribution Plans
It’s been a roller coaster ride for PE firms looking to break into the U.S. DC plan market.
Inflation Pressures and Real Estate Opportunities
Market experts say historically low interest rates, coupled with rising inflation, are currently supportive of real estate asset class valuations, creating a “sweet spot” for investment in core real estate.
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Making Sense of the Interest Rate Evolution
The economy is expanding fast, and the U.S. Federal Reserve is growing more worried about inflation than employment; that much is clear in early 2022, but what comes next for the markets and the economy is not.
Learned Lessons and Market Musings From CIO Bob Doll
The Crossmark investment leader expects 2022 to be more challenging for investors, as central banks unwind supportive policies in response to the ongoing economic recovery and macroeconomic conditions drive higher inflation.
Basic Market Lessons Reinforced by 2021
Among the takeaways one investment expert has from the year is that structural forces have a large influence on interest rates and may keep them relatively low despite the efforts of policymakers.
Dissecting a ‘Historically Tight’ Labor Market
New capital markets research from Wilmington Trust assesses a trend seen in the global economy, where the number of job openings far outpaces the number of available workers, causing supply chain disruptions and elevating the importance of compensation and employee benefits.
401(k) Traders Sat Still During a Tough November
Two-thirds of days during the month saw net trading activity favor equity funds over fixed income, according to the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index.
Op-Ed: ERISA Prudence Demands Healthy ESG Skepticism
Neal Shikes agrees that ESG factors can be an important part of institutional investors’ methodologies, but he also says retirement plan fiduciaries should be skeptical of some claims about what todays’ ESG investments can actually deliver when it comes to confronting climate change.
Market Watchers Focus on Inflation
Some capital markets experts say the ‘transitory message’ on inflation from the U.S. Federal Reserve is beginning to overstay its welcome.
Passive Investing Has Performed Well, Even During COVID Crisis
In 15 out of the 18 categories of domestic equity funds considered, S&P Dow Jones Indices finds the majority of actively managed funds underperformed their benchmarks during the year that ended June 30th.
Morningstar to Launch Model Portfolio Star Ratings in Q4
Additionally, the firm has pledged to double the qualitative and forward-looking Morningstar Analyst Rating coverage of model portfolios by the end of 2021.
Inflation Fears Ease (for Some) Amid a Murkier Market Outlook
As some investment analysts argue inflation has peaked, and that it should soon return to an average annual rate in line with recent history, others are focused on the effects of growing wage pressure and the competition for labor.
The Art of Comparing TDF and Balanced Fund Performance
The outputs of a hypothetical model based on historical net asset values for balanced funds and target-date funds show just how complicated it can be to compare the relative merits of the two approaches to asset allocation. As it turns out, balanced funds, though less popular, might deserve another look.
Investing Aggressively Doesn’t Match Saving Consistently
Results of a new analysis published by Dimensional Fund Advisors suggest that embracing higher equity exposures prior to and during retirement is an inadequate tool to manage longevity risk.
Investing
Average 401(k) Equity Allocation Surpasses 70%
The latest update of the Alight Solutions 401(k) Index shows the average asset allocation to equities rose in June to the highest level in 20 years. The index shows investors were content to watch their balances rise, as there were no days of above-normal trading activity. Average net trading activity was 0.009% of 401(k) balances, down from 0.011% in May.