Topic Tags: Investment Symposium

It’s All About the Bitcoin: Dollars or Cryptocurrency?


Flash talk by Greg Leonberger, FSA, EA, MAAA, at Marquette’s 2017 Investment Symposium

What is cryptocurrency? We examine how cryptocurrency is transacted, including how blockchains function, then dive into Bitcoin’s uses, acquisition, mining, and circulation. As an investment, the last few years have shown impressive (and frightening) growth, but we caution investors to be aware of the volatility within Bitcoin and look back at tulips for some insight. There are many challenges and unknowns cryptocurrencies face, and it is still early in the game to determine whether Bitcoin will (or can) become a conventional medium of exchange.

Will the Fed “Normalize” My Investment Returns?


Flash talk by Ben Mohr, CFA at Marquette’s 2017 Investment Symposium

In this session, we review common terms and concepts in fixed income including Fed rate hikes and the Fed’s balance sheet, and explore how each concept can assist investors in modeling bond returns. We also examine potential outcomes of the upcoming change in Fed leadership and FOMC and impacts on client portfolios.

Impact of Policies & Politics on Portfolios


Flash talk by Nat Kellogg, CFA at Marquette’s 2017 Investment Symposium

We recap a year of surprises and market reactions including Brexit, the 2016 U.S. election, and France’s 2017 presidential election in this session. The lesson to be learned from a year of exciting politics is similar to market performance: forecasting is difficult if not impossible and solely making decisions based on current events can lead investors down an uncertain path.