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Defined Contribution Guidance: Coronavirus Update

March certainly came in like a lion (though whether it came out like a lamb is debatable). The continued spread of the coronavirus pandemic led to sharp and steep sell-offs in both the bond and equity markets as investors fled to cash. An array of fiscal and monetary stimulus aimed at staving off a global recession followed suit.

With so many looming unknowns, what can plan sponsors do to best support defined contribution plan participants? This newsletter provides an overview of recent developments in response to the coronavirus and how plan sponsors can maintain fiduciary best practices and continue to help participants act prudently in the days that lie ahead.

Read > Defined Contribution Guidance: Coronavirus 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.

 

Marquette Associates Announces Compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®)

CHICAGO, August 27, 2018 – Marquette Associates, Inc. today announced the firm claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®)1 and has been independently verified by ACA Performance Services for the period of July 31, 2013 to December 31, 2017.

“Our hope is that by undergoing this rigorous process, we will help to build additional trust between Marquette and our clients,” said Brian Wrubel, president and CEO of Marquette. “Transparency continues to play a key role in how clients choose the right consulting firm for their needs. We believe that claiming GIPS compliance helps us stay true to one of our core client service principles, that of placing client interests first through the complete independence of our expertise.”

The GIPS standards are a rigorous set of standardized, industry-wide investment performance measurement principles. Introduced in 1999, the GIPS standards have been adopted in 39 countries and are recognized worldwide for lending credibility, integrity and uniformity to a firm’s performance reporting and historical track record. The standards are designed to improve transparency in calculating and reporting investments results to current and prospective clients by eliminating data omissions, misrepresentations and survivorship bias.

About Marquette Associates, Inc.
Marquette Associates, Inc. is a Chicago-based, independent investment consulting firm that guides institutional investment programs with a focused client service approach and careful research. Headquartered in Chicago, Marquette has additional offices in Baltimore, Philadelphia and St. Louis. Marquette has served a single mission since 1986: Enable institutions to be more effective investment stewards. Marquette places client fiduciary duties first through complete independence and 100% employee ownership. The firm currently serves more than 375 clients—from public funds, unions and corporations to endowments, foundations and other nonprofits—with over $176 billion in assets under advisement.

Marquette claims compliance with the Global Investment Performance Standards (GIPS®). For a copy of a presentation that complies with the GIPS standards and/or the firm’s list of composite descriptions, please email thamann@marquetteassociates.com.

For more information, please contact Brian M. Wrubel at 312.527.5500 or bwrubel@marquetteassociates.com.

 

1 GIPS® is a registered trademark of Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute, a global association of investment professionals. CFA Institute has not been involved in the preparation or review of this press release.

 

Signs of a Market Bottom?

In just a matter of weeks, U.S. equities went from all-time highs to bear market correction territory. As of March 20th, the S&P 500 had a drawdown of -31.9% from its February 19th high. Following the steep sell-off, equities subsequently rallied the week of March 23rd, logging weekly gains that were among their best in history. With equities having officially fallen into correction territory then subsequently appearing to show signs of stabilization and fiscal/monetary stimulus poised to (theoretically) cushion the impact of COVID-19, investors are left to wonder if the worst is over.

However, identifying market bottoms is a difficult endeavor. Every bear market is unique and this one is no different. Based on the severity of economic contraction thus far, it is likely that we are headed for — or possibly already in — a recession. Notably, though, not all bear markets coincide with a recession and not all recessions coincide with a bear market. Given that a recession is looming if not already here, we examined the last 40 years of data when bear markets coincided with recessions to see if we can identify signs of a bottom. Over the past 40 years, there were four such periods: 1973–1975, 1981–1982, 2000–2001, and 2007–2009. In the following newsletter, we review four categories of data over these time periods: technical, valuation, economic, and COVID-19 to see if we can identify consistent indicators of a market bottom.

Read > Signs of a Market Bottom?

 

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.

 

2018 Investment Symposium

Friday, September 28, 2018
8:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Marquette clients – Please join us for our 2018 Investment Symposium to discuss the current market environment, emerging investment themes and investment stewardship challenges in the year ahead. In addition to our two keynotes, six flash talks will brief attendees on popular topics and encourage timely conversations with our investment consultants.

Agenda
8:00 AM
Registration Open/Breakfast

8:45 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Brian Wrubel, President & CEO

9:00 AM
Opening Keynote

John V. Miller, CFA
Head of Nuveen Municipals at Nuveen Asset Management

10:00 AM
Break

10:15 AM
Flash Talks: Session 1

The Financial Crisis: A Decade Later
Nat Kellogg, CFA, Director of Manager Search, Managing Partner

Evolving Private Market Landscape: The Institutional Shift from Public to Private Markets
Derek Schmidt, CFA, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, Private Equity

The Impact of Technological Innovation on the U.S. Equity Market and the Value Growth Continuum
Samantha Grant, CFA, CAIA, Senior Research Analyst, U.S. Equities

11:00 AM
Break

11:15 AM
Flash Talks: Session 2

Getting “A” Share of the Chinese Market 
David Hernandez, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Non-U.S. Equities

Deciphering the Bond Markets: How Much Duration and Credit Risk Should I Take?
Ben Mohr, CFA, Senior Research Analyst, Fixed Income

Market Impact of Evolving U.S. Policies 
Greg Leonberger, FSA, EA, MAAA, Director of Research, Managing Partner

12:00 PM
Keynote Luncheon

Richard H. Thaler
2017 Recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics

2:00 PM
Adjourn

Union League Club
65 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, Illinois 60604
Tel: (312) 427-7800
Discounted guest rooms available through 8/28
Business casual attire required. More information about their dress code can be found here.

Richard H. Thaler to Deliver 2018 Investment Symposium Luncheon Keynote

Richard H. Thaler 

Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Richard H. Thaler is the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics. Thaler studies behavioral economics and finance as well as the psychology of decision-making which lies in the gap between economics and psychology. He investigates the implications of relaxing the standard economic assumption that everyone in the economy is rational and selfish, instead entertaining the possibility that some of the agents in the economy are sometimes human. Thaler is the director of the Center for Decision Research, and is the co-director (with Robert Shiller) of the Behavioral Economics Project at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Thaler is the co-author (with Cass R. Sunstein) of the global best seller Nudge (2008) in which the concepts of behavioral economics are used to tackle many of society’s major problems. In 2015 he published Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. He has authored or edited four other books: Quasi-Rational Economics, The Winner’s Curse: Paradoxes and Anomalies of Economic Life, and Advances in Behavioral Finance (editor) Volumes I and II. He has published numerous articles in prominent journals such as the American Economics Review, the Journal of Finance and the Journal of Political Economy.

Thaler is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the American Finance Association and the Econometrics Society, and in 2015 served as the President of the American Economic Association. Before joining the University of Chicago faculty in 1995 Thaler taught at the University of Rochester and Cornell as well as visiting stints at The University of British Columbia, the Sloan School of Management at MIT, the Russell Sage Foundation and the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences at Stanford.

Originally from New Jersey, Thaler attended Case Western Reserve University where he received a bachelor’s degree in 1967. Soon after, he attended the University of Rochester where he received a master’s degree in 1970 and a PhD in 1974. He joined the Chicago Booth faculty in 1995.

April 2nd Update: A Quarter That Will Go Down in History

With March officially in the books, the following is a brief summary of what has transpired in the capital markets since our update early last week. As expected, the coronavirus has exploded across the U.S. and continued its spread across Europe as well. At the time of writing, the number of cases is approaching 1 million worldwide and has exceeded 200,000 here in the United States. Stocks finished their worst quarter ever on Tuesday and volatility continues to haunt the markets. While the worst may still not yet be behind us, we hope that the growing number of shelter in place edicts and more consistent social distancing may help to stem the coronavirus outbreak across the world. Please note that all return data in the following discussion utilizes the quarter end date of March 31st, 2020.

Read > April 2nd Update: A Quarter That Will Go Down in History

 

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.

John V. Miller, CFA to Deliver 2018 Investment Symposium Opening Keynote

John V. Miller, CFA

Head of Nuveen Municipals at Nuveen Asset Management

John leads the municipals fixed income strategic direction and investment perspectives for Nuveen. He also manages several municipal bond strategies and closed-end funds.

John is a trusted public voice in discussing key issues and trends within the municipal market. He is a frequent guest on CNBC, Bloomberg Television and Fox Business News. His perspective is often sought out by leading industry media such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Bloomberg News and Morningstar.

Before being named the co-head of fixed income in 2011, he was chief investment officer for the firm’s municipal bond team starting in 2007. He was named a managing director and head of portfolio management for Nuveen Asset Management in 2006. John became a portfolio manager in 2000 after starting at the firm as a municipal credit analyst in 1996. He began working in the financial industry at a private account management firm in 1993.

 

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

In the early hours of March 25th, the Senate and the Trump administration reached a deal on the $2 trillion stimulus package aimed at cushioning the fall for U.S. businesses and consumers in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The bill was approved by the Senate late on March 25th, passed through the House on March 27th, and was signed by Trump the afternoon of March 27th. The size of the package is over 9% of the U.S. GDP and is greater than the three major relief packages passed during the 2008 crisis combined.

This legislative update summarizes the key elements of the CARES Act and concludes with an assessment of the expected impact of this stimulus package.

Read > The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

 

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.

The Future of Investing: Sustainability and ESG Integration

With 2020 underway, sustainable investing continues to be a trending topic, although the concept of incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics into an investment thesis is not new. ESG integration is returns-focused and incorporates long-term sustainability factors into the investment research process to identify companies with higher return potential.

In this white paper, we examine the current ESG landscape, including the various movements that have preceded ESG integration, recent strides by American corporations, fiduciary guidance, and the growing response by investment managers to meet investor demand, especially in reporting and performance measurement. We also present our approach to incorporating ESG into our manager evaluation process and the best practices our team looks for when performing due diligence for ESG-mandated strategies.

Read > The Future of Investing: Sustainability and ESG Integration

 

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.

Will the Spread of Coronavirus Drive a Risk-Off Market?

Global markets have come under pressure as the number of coronavirus cases grows. Through January 27th, the S&P 500 is down 3% from its mid-January peak when the U.S.-China phase one trade deal was signed. The 10-year Treasury yield has fallen from 1.85% to 1.61% over this same period, as bond spreads widened and the dollar strengthened.

This newsletter summarizes recent market activity and potential implications of the spread of coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China. For long-term investors, this outbreak is likely nothing but noise; however, future news about the coronavirus could impact markets in the short-term.

Download PDF > Will the Spread of Coronavirus Drive a Risk-Off Market?

 

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.