Services Tags: Investment Consulting

2021 Market Preview Video

This video coincides with our 2021 Market Preview newsletters and provides a high-level summary of each, including analysis of last year’s performance as well as trends, themes, opportunities, and risks to watch for in 2021.

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.

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Tech Bubble Revisited? Contrasting the Current Landscape with the Dot-Com Boom and Bust

Continued strong performance of technology-oriented stocks through disparate economic environments, elevated valuations, and increasing concentration within the growth space have caused many to draw parallels between present-day conditions and those of the late 1990s. Some feel as though investor exuberance surrounding innovative companies is irrational, and that 2021 could bring with it a paradigm shift in terms of sentiment and market leadership.

This newsletter seeks to assess the extent to which the current equity landscape mirrors the Dot-com Bubble with an analysis of performance, sector concentration, profitability fundamentals, and valuations.

Read > Tech Bubble Revisited? Contrasting the Current Landscape with the Dot-Com Boom and Bust

 

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.

Kweku Obed Speaking at DAMI Investment Consultant Survey Webinar 1/26

On Tuesday, January 26th, Kweku Obed, CFA, CAIA will be speaking as part of the Diverse Asset Managers Initiative’s (DAMI) webinar covering their 3rd annual Investment Consultant Survey, released in December 2020.

Kweku will be joining several other panelists from various investment consulting firms to review the survey, discuss the role of investment consultants in the asset management industry, and highlight movement in the field over the past year. The Diverse Asset Managers Initiative seeks to build a vibrant, coordinated effort to change the culture of the financial services industry as it relates to asset managers and to increase the absolute number of, and assets under management by, diverse-owned asset management firms.

For more information on DAMI and the survey, please visit the DAMI website.

Additional Relief Stimulus to Bridge Gap as Vaccine Distribution is Underway

While the recent approval and rollout of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines would be expected to assist in the gradual economic recovery from the COVID pandemic, the Federal Reserve emphasized last week that approximately six months of both monetary and fiscal stimulus are needed to bridge the gap between now and adequate vaccine distribution to support herd immunity by 2H21. As such, Congress over the weekend finally reached an agreement on an approximate $900 billion fiscal stimulus package, and after passing through both houses Monday, President Trump is expected to sign it into law today.

The package includes aid for many Americans including $300 per week in federal unemployment benefit enhancements and $600 individual stimulus checks, as well as support for small businesses, healthcare, transit, schools, and vaccine rollout. In this paper, we will begin with an assessment of the stimulus packages to date, followed by highlights on key aid to individuals, businesses, and governments in this latest package. Next, we will discuss an interpretation and analysis of this relief deal in the context of key financial market and economic indicators. Finally, we will conclude with a look to next steps.

Read > Additional Relief Stimulus to Bridge Gap as Vaccine Distribution is Underway

 

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.

Can TIPS Be an Effective Inflation Hedge for Portfolios?

With the COVID vaccine’s worldwide distribution and adoption starting last week, many investors are aiming to project an inflation outlook driven by the return of furloughed workers and impending economic recovery and adjust portfolios with inflation protection in mind.

In this newsletter, we examine how key asset classes in institutional portfolios behave in rising or declining inflation environments, and ultimately determine the best asset classes that serve as inflation hedges while also providing strong total return and efficiency ratios. In particular, we investigate if TIPS (Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities) offer superior inflation protection compared to other common portfolio constituents.

Read > Can TIPS Be an Effective Inflation Hedge for Portfolios?

 

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.

Nat Kellogg Joins eVestment Consultant Board

Announced yesterday by eVestment, Nat Kellogg, CFA will be joining their inaugural consultant advisory board. As a member of the board, Nat will provide strategic input on the evolving data needs of Marquette on behalf of our clients and discuss and analyze emerging industry trends and marketplace dynamics with eVestment and fellow board members.

eVestment, a Nasdaq company, provides institutional investment data, analytics, and market intelligence covering public and private markets.

For more information about the eVestment Consultant Board, please view the press release here.

Cash Balance Product Alternatives & Recommendations in the Current Ultra-Low Yield Environment

With short-term interest rates seemingly stuck at unprecedented low levels, a key challenge for investors today is how best to obtain compelling yields for cash balances as part of an overall portfolio while maintaining safety and principal protection.

In this newsletter, we examine the current ultra-low yield environment and what options investors may consider in their approach to structuring an optimal cash allocation.

Read > Cash Balance Product Alternatives & Recommendations in the
Current Ultra-Low Yield Environment

 

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.

Marquette Speaking at 2020 AIMSE Annual Conference 11/18

On Wednesday, November 18th, Marquette will be speaking at the 43rd Annual Association of Investment Management and Sales Executives (AIMSE) Sales & Marketing Conference, being held virtually this year.

As consultant roundtable speakers, Dave Smith, CFA, and Derek Schmidt, CFA, CAIA, will engage in lively discussions with participants by sharing investment manager search activities, organizational updates, and methods for effectively communicating with research and field consultants. A hallmark of AIMSE conferences, the consultant roundtables feature both traditional and alternative professionals.

The AIMSE is a not-for-profit professional organization that seeks to provide an educational forum for those employed in the investment management sales and marketing services profession worldwide.

For more information, please visit the AIMSE website.

Why Will Yields Remain Low After COVID and What Can Investors Do About It?

As we head into the 2020 year-end holiday season on the heels of positive vaccine news and an all but formally concluded presidential election, investors are turning their attention to what the state of the world economy and financial markets might look like as we potentially return to normal in 2021 and beyond. One key question being asked is where interest rates and bond yields might be headed.

In this newsletter, we explore why we are in such an ultra-low yield environment as well as what key structural transformations need to take place for rates to meaningfully rise to higher levels. Last, we devise a recommended plan of action for how asset owners can address this persistent ultra-low yield environment — even after a COVID recovery — in order to achieve return or volatility targets.

Read > Why Will Yields Remain Low After COVID and What Can Investors Do
About It?

 

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.

Defined Contribution Plan Legislative Update – 4Q 2020

While legislators have been focused on negotiating the next round of stimulus and dealing with the implications of the recent election cycle, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), as the primary regulator of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), has been fairly active with issuing proposed changes and final rules that may impact many of our defined contribution plan clients in the past several months.

This legislative update covers recent communications regarding private investments in defined contribution plans, proxy voting guidelines, ESG considerations (an update to an earlier Proposed Rule), and 2021 contribution limits.

Read > 4Q 2020 DC Legislative Update

 

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.