Other Insights

Understanding What Drives Momentum in Global Stock Markets

With over nearly 150 years of data, the study finds that when inflation and interest rates rise, stocks and bonds tend to move together, reducing diversification benefits. This has critical implications for portfolio construction and risk management.

US Value Stocks Trading at Historically High Discounts

For equity investors there have been two major narratives over the last 17 calendar year period 2008-2024. The first is that US stocks have far outperformed international stocks. The other narrative has been the outperformance of growth stocks relative to value stocks.

Do Women Receive Worse Financial Advice?

A study based in Hong Kong by using undercover auditors found that female clients were more likely to be advised to invest in individual or local securities instead of getting a mix of different investments.

Adverse Effects of Index Replication

The empirical research we have reviewed shows that the (hidden) costs of index construction and rebalancing policies to investors are about 10 times the expense ratios.

How Bond ETFs Make Trading Easier and Cheaper

Bond ETFs have attracted new investors who previously never owned bonds or bond funds. Bond ETFs have made it easier for more people and institutions to start investing in bonds.

Understanding the Stock–Bond Correlation

With over nearly 150 years of data, the study finds that when inflation and interest rates rise, stocks and bonds tend to move together, reducing diversification benefits. This has critical implications for portfolio construction and risk management.

Valuations Reflect U.S. Exceptionalism

US exceptionalism provided the same explanation for the outperformance of US stocks in the 1990s. However, that regime changed. From 2000-2007, while the S&P 500 Index returned just 1.9% per annum (underperforming riskless one-month Treasury bills by 1.3% per annum), the MSCI EAFE Index returned 5.6% per annum, and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index returned 15.3% per annum.

Listing Domicile Driving Valuations

The listing domicile explained about 50% of the valuation gap. In other words, US-listed stocks are substantially more expensive than internationally listed stocks for no reason other than the place of listing.

The Ability to NAV Time Interval Funds

NAV timing investors could potentially create trading strategies which would systematically transfer wealth from buy-and-hold investors to themselves.

A Navy SEAL says Making Better Decisions is SIMPLE.

The following guest piece outlines the SIMPLE framework (SIMPLE) for making better decisions. SIMPLE was developed by a Navy SEAL with combat and business experience. An application of the SIMPLE framework, applied to financial advisors, is at the end of the piece.

Local IPOs and Household Stock Market Participation

This paper seeks to address three pivotal questions that explore the broader economic and social impacts of IPO activity, particularly its role in influencing stock market participation through localized attention and wealth effects.

Is There A Bubble In Private Credit?

While the media headlines are preaching doom, the fundamentals are telling a very different story—credit spreads have widened, and EBITDA multiples are the lowest they have been in a decade. The bottom line is that for investors able to accept its limited liquidity, private, senior, secured and sponsored by private equity direct lending continues to be a compelling component of a diversified portfolio deliver what has always attracted investors: high current income, resilience through market cycles, and a disciplined approach to risk management. We are far from a bubble.  

Nine Lessons the Market Taught in 2024

In 2024 investors were provided with nine lessons. Many of them are repeats from prior years. Unfortunately, too many investors fail to learn them—they keep making the same errors.

The Impact of Impact Investing

Divestment, a commonly used strategy, involves withdrawing support from companies that contribute to these issues, with the intention of creating positive societal change. Despite its appeal, the connection between divestment actions and their actual impact on society remains unclear.

Private Credit: Upper Versus Lower Middle Market Lending

Given the similar net returns that UMM and LMM loans have delivered, allocators should consider diversifying across borrower size cohorts. Since LLM loans are somewhat riskier, careful due diligence should be performed in terms of a lender’s credit loss history, fees/expenses, and use of leverage.

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