Services Tags: Investment Consulting

Portfolio Trick or Treat

Coming into 2023, investors were cautiously optimistic about 2023 market returns; cautious considering the broad losses across asset classes during 2022 but optimistic about more attractive valuations and the inherent upside potential stemming from these price points. Nine months into the year, which of these opportunities have been “treats” for investors, and which have been “tricks”?

In this edition:

  • The biggest trick of them all: Investment grade fixed income
  • But not all of fixed income has been a trick…
  • Tricks come in all sizes: U.S. small-cap equities
  • Trick, treat, or both? U.S. growth stocks
  • Currency movements still tricky
  • More treat than trick: Emerging markets
  • If you’re not surprised, it’s not a trick: Commercial real estate

2023 Investment Symposium

Watch the flash talks from Marquette’s 2023 Investment Symposium livestream on September 15 in the player below — use the upper-right list icon to access a specific presentation.

 

Please feel free to reach out to any of the presenters should you have any questions.

Marquette Speaking at Institutional Investor 2024 Private Credit Forum 5/21

On Tuesday, May 21, Marquette will be speaking at Institutional Investor’s 2024 Private Credit Forum in Chicago, “Private Credit Vintage Bubble: The Delicate Balance Between Optimism and Caution.”

Kris Katarski will be moderating a fireside chat entitled, “Trends and Opportunities in the U.S. Lower Middle-Market, Private Credit, and Private Credit Secondaries,” described as follows:  This segment will dive into alpha opportunities that exist within the U.S. Lower Middle-Market relative to private credit and private credit secondaries, expounding on elements of inefficiencies, less competition, and aging demographics, amongst others.

  • What are the current opportunities, trends, and risk considerations identified in U.S. Lower Middle-Market private credit?
  • What is the definition of the U.S. Lower Middle-Market, supply/demand influences, alpha generation potential, and market valuation comparisons?
  • How has the growth in private credit led to more credit secondary opportunities?
  • What are secondaries’ expected risk-adjusted return profiles vs. other private market asset classes?
  • Have seasoned loans in U.S. Lower Middle-Markets exhibited lower default rates than larger loans?

The Forum will delve into the nuances of the private credit sector, including the allocator sentiment, macro and regulatory factors, and sector specifics that continue to drive growth. For more information, visit the Institutional Investor event webpage.

Marquette Speaking at Chicago Finance Exchange Annual Mid-Year Economic Update 5/20

On Monday, May 20, Dave Smith, CFA and Jessica Noviskis, CFA will be speaking at the Chicago Finance Exchange (CFE) Annual Mid-Year Economic Update.

Dave and Jessica will discuss the economic outlook for the second half of 2024 and beyond at the event. Chicago Finance Exchange is a community of women leaders in finance dedicated to exchanging ideas, experiences, and expertise for the success of its members, and the betterment of our community and the global marketplace. For more information, please visit the CFE website.

Marquette Views on 2024 U.S. Equities Outlook Featured on FIN News

Published May 14, Catherine Hillier, Research Analyst, was interviewed for “Q1 2024: Small-Cap Equity Hiring Sees Uptick,” by FIN News (subscription required).

Catherine discussed the outlook for U.S. equity performance, particularly in the small-cap space in the article, which posits, “Publicly-traded large-cap companies continue to garner the attention of media and investors, but allocator interest is beginning to look down market to the small-cap sector.”

The article also referenced Catherine’s November 2023 newsletter, U.S. Equities: Surprising Strength Gives Way to Macro Risks, and commentary in Marquette’s 1Q 2024 Market Insights webinar, available to watch as a recording here.

Marquette Speaking at DFW Institutional Investment FORUM 4/16

On Tuesday, April 16, Marquette will be speaking at a roundtable hosted by the DFW Institutional Investment FORUM in Dallas, Texas.

Kris Katarski will be moderating the event, titled, “Emerging Markets, where are we now?” covering both emerging market debt and equity and how they fit into an institutional portfolio allocation.

The FORUM was created to promote the exchange of information and education for the benefit of a broad audience of institutional investors and consultants and hosts several events throughout the year for its members. Please visit their website for more information.

Halftime Adjustments

For anyone who regularly reads these letters, recall the market preview edition opined on the outlook for asset classes in 2023, particularly the likelihood of each delivering positive returns for the upcoming year. Given that we are halfway through the year, we would like to use this letter to make “halftime adjustments” to our outlook; with NFL training camps set to open later this month, we couldn’t resist the urge to borrow a football term. We hope this is a quick beach read as you enjoy your summer vacations and prepare for the second half of the year.

This edition re-assesses the outlook for fixed income, equities, and real estate for the second half of 2023.

Read > Halftime Adjustments

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

2023 Halftime Market Insights Video

This video is a recording of a live webinar held July 19 by Marquette’s research team, featuring live, in-depth analysis of the second quarter and themes we’ll be monitoring in the second half of the year.

Our Market Insights series examines the primary asset classes we cover for clients including the U.S. economy, fixed income, U.S. and non-U.S. equities, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, private equity, and private credit, with presentations by our research analysts and directors.

Sign up for research alerts to be invited to future webinars and notified when we publish new videos.
For more information, questions, or feedback, please send us an email.

Luis Sierra Speaking at College Savings Plan Network 2024 Virtual Prepaid Tuition Plan Mini Conference 4/10

On Wednesday, April 10, Luis Sierra, CFA will be speaking at the 2024 College Savings Plan Network Prepaid Tuition Plan Mini Conference, being held virtually.

Luis will be joining a panel entitled, “Well-Funded Plans: Where Do We Go From Here?” with several investment professionals, described as follows: Most Prepaid Plans are in the enviable position today of being overfunded in comparison to our future participant obligations. This session will look at how we arrived in this position by reviewing the forces that led us to this overfunding. Should something in our fundamentals change (e.g. unit price, underlying actuarial assumptions, asset allocation of our investments)? Then, we have to ask what do we do with the surpluses? And finally, do we change Plan elements going forward?

The College Savings Plans Network (CSPN), an affiliate of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), is a national non-profit association and the leading objective source of information about Section 529 College Savings Plans and Prepaid Tuition Plans — popular, convenient, and tax-advantaged ways to save for college. This MiniCon will discuss topical issues impacting prepaid plans and how states are continuing to adapt to keep their plans relevant in a changing world. For more information, please visit the event webpage.

Out of Office: Where Real Estate Markets Stand Today

Commercial real estate is increasingly being dubbed the next shoe to drop as markets assess the fallout from the regional banking turmoil. Amid higher rates and tighter credit conditions, private real estate is now facing the same repricing dynamics that hit the equity and bond markets last year, and while further write downs are expected, the headlines are likely overblown. Fundamental and financing issues are largely concentrated within the office sector — which will likely see a correction over a longer time period but be manageable for most core real estate funds — while other sectors, including industrial and multifamily, are actually set to benefit over the next few years.

This newsletter analyzes the current commercial real estate investment landscape including valuations, fundamentals, debt markets, and private real estate returns.

Read > Out of Office: Where Real Estate Markets Stand Today

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.