US Inflation Tracker

US Inflation Tracker highlights key indicators related to personal consumption, supply chain dynamics, housing, wage pressures and inflation expectations.

March 19, 2024 Jack Janasiewicz - Garrett Melson
Investment Portfolio Trends 2023: Looking in the Mirror

A review of more than 200 investment portfolios highlights the benefits of risk-on allocations as inflation fears ease and markets rebound.

March 12, 2024 Kevin McCullough
March Madness: Top Picks for Fixed Income Investing

Which fixed income category is poised to outperform in 2024? Analysis is offered in this March madness bond bracketology.

March 7, 2024 Mark J. Cintolo
Plan Ahead for Tighter Spreads

As the yield difference across fixed income securities narrows, actively managed bond funds may offer advantages for bearish – and bullish – investors.

February 12, 2024 Mark J. Cintolo
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Five Institutional Trends Dominated in 2H 2023

How E&Fs led in performance, why private debt interest soared, and other institutional portfolio trends are detailed.

January 29, 2024 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
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2024 Investment Idea: Quality/Growth

Using our proprietary Cyclicality vs. Inflation framework to align portfolio positioning with our economic outlook – lean in on Quality and Growth.

December 21, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo - Sean Kaukas
Portfolio Construction Fundamentals

Model portfolio manager offers insights on asset allocation, portfolio structure and strategy selection – the three fundamentals of portfolio construction.

December 14, 2023 Brian Kmetz Financial Professional content – requires login
Why We’re (Still) Underweight Securitized Assets

Portfolio consultant compares investments in securitized assets with those in corporate and Treasury securities.

November 30, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo
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Portfolio Allocation Trends – Q3 2023

A review of nearly 300 advisor portfolios shows that taking equity risk and staying short on fixed income duration drove top year-to-date portfolio returns.

November 22, 2023 Sean Kaukas - Kevin McCullough
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Portfolio Construction – What Role Should Fixed Income Play?

Liquidity? Diversification? Income? Portfolio consultants discuss a goals-based approach to align the fixed income allocation with investor objectives.

November 13, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo - Kevin McCullough
Investment Committee Overview

Learn about the investment committee that provides capital market views and asset allocation guidance for consulting clients and tactical model portfolios.

November 10, 2023
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Fixed Income Yields and Drivers

Portfolio consultants discuss inflation, interest rates and current bond yields, with a focus on the drivers that could push yields lower or higher.

October 18, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo - Kevin McCullough
Corporate Bond Shortage on the Horizon?

Higher interest rates have changed supply, demand and spread dynamics for investment grade corporate bonds, particularly for longer duration issues.

October 4, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo
Psst… Check Out Small Cap Stocks

Valuations, positive momentum, technical support and a likely soft landing are converging to favor small company stocks over the next few months.

September 29, 2023 Gregory V. Kanarian Financial Professional content – requires login
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Portfolio Construction: Growth & Cyclical Stocks

Portfolio consultants explain how they align equity investments with their current economic outlook using a growth/cyclical barbell strategy.

August 25, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo - Sean Kaukas
Revalidating the Case for Duration in Fixed Income Portfolios

Three scenarios for where the yield curve may be at year-end 2024 and the advantages of adding duration to fixed income portfolios today is analyzed.

August 21, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo
Moderate Model Portfolio Trends Analysis – Midyear 2023

The best performing investment portfolios in the first half of 2023 had the highest exposure to growth stocks and longer-duration bonds.

August 11, 2023 David T. Reilly Financial Professional content – requires login
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Five Institutional Investment Trends – Midyear 2023

Recovering institutional investor returns, soaring AI company valuations, and reshuffling real estate sectors due to WFH impact are observed at midyear.

July 25, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
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CE Credit: Evaluating Fixed Income Strategies Through Multiple Lenses

Learn how various types of analysis techniques can help you better evaluate and select the right fixed income strategies for your clients’ portfolios.

July 17, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
Returns on Cash May Be Lower Than You Think

While many investors are satisfied with current returns on money market funds and other short-term investments, this may not be the best strategy right now.

June 27, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo
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Fixed Income Framework: Cyclicality vs. Inflation

Framework shows how investors can adjust their bond holdings to align with their outlook for inflation, growth and recession scenarios.

May 23, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo
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Traditional Diversification Is Working Again

Stocks and bonds stopped moving in tandem in early December – and that favors duration for bond investors.

April 27, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo
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Listen to Our Experts Explain the Framework

Analysis that combines inflation and growth cycle trends may provide a more nuanced way to understand stock market drivers.

March 15, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo - Sean Kaukas
5 Trends in Model Investment Portfolios – Year-End 2022

See which trends influenced financial advisors’ asset allocation decisions in their moderate model portfolios in the second half of 2022.

March 14, 2023 Gregory V. Kanarian Financial Professional content – requires login
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Observations on Five Institutional Investing Trends

Foundations and public pensions lost ground in a challenging investment environment. As we enter 2023, indicators suggest elevated return potential.

February 6, 2023 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
Bear Market Lemonade

In years with negative investment returns, investors may be able to use losses to offset taxable capital gains, a technique known as tax loss harvesting.

November 10, 2022 Sean McDade
Positioning Portfolios for Fading Inflation

As year-over-year inflation shows signs of peaking, investors may want to revisit portfolio allocations.

October 7, 2022 Mark J. Cintolo - Sean Kaukas
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From the Consultants’ Desk: Investment Portfolio Construction Trends at Midyear

US equity exceptionalism sentiment, value, shorter durations, and unicorns are among the asset allocation trends explored.

September 1, 2022 Mark J. Cintolo - Kevin McCullough
5 Midyear Trends in Model Investment Portfolios – Summer 2022

As correlations and inflation spiked in the first half of 2022, the best performing investment portfolios held inflation-protection assets, alternatives – and cash.

August 18, 2022 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
Is This a Good Time to Consider Corporate Bonds?

With yields recently hitting 13-year highs and recession fears growing, are there opportunities in investment grade corporate bonds?

August 1, 2022 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
Institutional Investing Trends Observed at Midyear 2022

Amid the failed diversification of disappointing returns from both stocks and bonds, there are some bright spots in institutional investing trends.

July 22, 2022 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
Inflation Protection: An Equity-Centric View

Historical analysis highlights which equity sectors and strategies fare best when inflation heats up.

April 12, 2022 Mark J. Cintolo - Sean Kaukas
The Art – and Science – of Building Better Model Portfolios

As financial professionals are growing more sophisticated in their use of models, they are raising the bar for portfolio providers.

December 6, 2021 Financial Professional content – requires login
5 Investment Trends in US Advisor Portfolios – Spring 2021

Recent trends show increasing growth style bias, higher emerging market allocations and focus on quality fixed income holdings in moderate portfolios.

March 5, 2021 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login
Five Institutional Investment Trends to Watch

Recent trends include cash deployment, sustainable investment screening, and muni debt issuance by colleges and universities.

March 3, 2021 Mark J. Cintolo Financial Professional content – requires login