Barron’s (August 14)
“Investors have typically penalized emerging markets such as Turkey, Argentina, and China due to concerns about the independence of the central bank, government intervention in the private sector, and rampant overspending.” Now these concerns are focused on “the U.S., which has historically been the paragon of a developed market.” Investors are reevaluating “the premium that U.S. assets have long commanded” and this could lead to “weaker long-run returns for stocks or, more immediately, higher bond yields and a continuation in the weakness of the dollar that has emerged this year.”
Tags: Argentina, Bond yields, Central bank, China, Developed market, Emerging markets, Government intervention, Independence, Investors, Overspending, Paragon, Penalized, Premium, Private-sector, Rampant, Reevaluating, Returns, Stocks, Turkey, U.S. assets
The Economist (July 31)
“America’s biggest technology companies are combining Silicon Valley returns with Ruhr Valley balance-sheets. Investors who bought shares in Alphabet, Meta and Microsoft a decade ago are sitting on eight times their money, excluding dividends.” Their hard assets multiplied with data center investment and their property, plant and equipment is now “worth more than 60% of their equity book value, up from 20%” a decade ago. Even more eye popping, combined with Amazon and Oracle, their capex spending is estimated to account “for a third of America’s economic growth during the most recent quarter.”
Tags: Alphabet, Amazon, Balance sheets, Book value, CAPEX, Data centers, Dividends, Eye-popping, Hard assets, Investors, Meta, Microsoft, Oracle, Returns, Shares, Silicon Valley, U.S.
The Economist (April 19)
The dollar is meant to be a source of safety. Lately, however, it has been a cause of fear. Since its peak in mid-January the greenback has fallen by over 9% against a basket of major currencies.” Meanwhile, the yield on Treasuries has been rising. “That mix of rising yields and a falling currency is a warning sign: if investors are fleeing even though returns are up, it must be because they think America has become more risky,” which explains the rumors that “big foreign asset managers are dumping greenbacks.”
Tags: Asset managers, Basket, Dollar, Dumping, Falling, Fear, Fleeing, Greenbacks, Investors, Major currencies, Peak, Returns, Risky, Safety, Treasuries, Warning sign, Yields
Institutional Investor (December 31)
“The market is on pace this year to nearly double its five-year annualized returns of 15.7 percent,” but can this last? “Despite the market euphoria over Republican wins, Trump’s intent to goose an already healthy economy and challenge international agreements may result in more uncertainty and volatility.”
Tags: 15.7%, Double, Economy, Euphoria, international agreements, Market, Republican, Returns, Trump, Uncertainty, Volatility
Reuters (September 23)
“Rebuffing a low-ball, unsolicited, $39 billion takeover proposal from Alimentation Couche-Tard was a straightforward task for Seven & i. But the resulting 20% surge in the Japanese target’s stock price puts it under pressure to lay out a compelling plan to improve its returns. That will be critical to shoring up its defence if its suitor tries to take an offer directly to shareholders.”
Tags: $39 billion, Compelling plan, Couche-Tard, Japan, Low-ball, Rebuffing, Returns, Seven & i, Shareholders, Stock price, Straightforward, Surge, Takeover, Target, Unsolicited
Institutional Investor (June 10)
“The gap between the best and worst performing outsourced chief investment officer firms is growing — and clients aren’t happy about it…. Among providers that serve endowment and foundation clients, there is significant dispersion — 200 basis points or more — in returns between the top and bottom quartile firms.”
Tags: 200 basis points, Best, Chief investment officer, Clients, Dispersion, Endowment, Foundation, Gap, Outsourced, Performing, Returns, Worst
Institutional Investor (February 23)
“We found claims that impact funds must be concessionary — meaning investors give up some returns when they also pursue social goals — to be wrong. In fact, funds designed to solve some of society’s problems can produce returns comparable to non-impact funds and they can lower risks. Impact-aligned industries also can outperform others.”
Tags: Claims, Concessionary, Impact funds, Industries, Investors, Lower risks, Outperform, Returns, Social goals, Wrong
Commercial Observer (June 1)
“For the illiquid world of private credit — which provides debt for commercial real estate projects -– and that of private equity, the recent upheaval in the U.S. regional banking sector and issues plaguing downtown office space has sparked questions surrounding the type of returns CRE can generate for investors. The primary question being: Is a golden moment possible in the darkest of times?”
Tags: Commercial real estate, Debt, Downtown, Illiquid, Office space, Plaguing, Private credit, Private equity, Regional banking, Returns, U.S., Upheaval
Investment Week (May 18)
“Interest in ESG investing has waned among UK investors, with less than half now prioritising ESG investments over maximising returns.” A recent survey by Charles Schwab UK “found that since 2021, the number of investors who consider ESG when making new investments has fallen from 44% to 38%” while those placing sustainable investing over returns fell from 55% to 47%.
Tags: 2021, ESG investing, ESG investments, Interest, Investors, Returns, Schwab, Sustainable Returns, UK investors, Waned
Bloomberg (October 26)
“The latest bear-market rally in US stocks has brought investors off the sidelines and provided a welcome reprieve from three quarters of gloom. But traders now need to ask themselves whether the risks continue to justify the potential returns.” Are they “truly nimble enough to chase this latest short-term rally to culmination without toppling off the inevitable cliff at the end of it.”
Tags: Bear-market rally, Gloom, Inevitable cliff, Investors, Nimble, Reprieve, Returns, Risks, Short term, Stocks, Traders, U.S.
