After falling precipitously in the first quarter, the S&P 500 Index added 20% during the second, making for the best quarter since 1998 and the best second quarter since 1938. What comes next is anyone’s guess.
One economist says there is so much noise in the data that it’s hard to assess where we are right now, let alone where things are going from a macroeconomic perspective.
The 2020 equity market outlook continues to hinge on whether a major secondary spike in COVID-19 infections can be prevented; news headlines on this front confirm this remains a very real risk.
They say the Federal Reserve’s fiscal and stimulus moves have put a floor under the equity and bond markets.
Looking back to the Great Recession and Great Depression, unemployment data shows that the full effect of those downturns took years to play out. Will we now follow the same pattern?
Citing elevated valuations and rising tensions between the U.S. and China, some say a V-shaped recovery is unlikely.
Ninety-two percent of sponsors work with advisers, but only 70% are ‘very satisfied’ with their relationships.
Endowments and foundations broadly embrace tactical approaches to asset allocation, though some clearly do it better than others, often by relying on outside expertise.
New data from CAPTRUST shows there is a continued misalignment between foundations’ and endowments’ expected returns, risk preferences and asset allocations.
One positive point in some otherwise sobering data is the role that defined contribution (DC) plans play in helping middle class Americans generate a stable financial future.
Easing the impact on savings rates was the fact that personal consumption expenditures were down by 7.5% during the month of March, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Data from leading retirement plan recordkeepers shows 401(k) and IRA accounts have seen smaller losses than many broad market indices, thanks in no small part to the efforts of plan sponsors and their advisers. Corporate pensions have also fared better than their public counterparts.
Investment managers say evidence is already mounting to show an outperformance of ESG-themed portfolios during the coronavirus pandemic. Might that help their popularity in the U.S.?
The equity markets dropped by nearly 50% during the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009, but retirement plan account balances of those who stayed the course recovered their full value by 2010, despite the lingering economic challenges.
Retirement investors have little choice but to stay the course; even backing away from the markets for a short period can prove detrimental to long-term returns.
Despite periods of volatility in the past decade, retirement plan investors have benefitted from a strong equity market and their commitment to investing in tax-qualified vehicles.