Every four years, the Securities and Exchange Commission is required by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law to modify the rules protecting investors. The original protections were put in place in 1982, but with the relentless pace of change in innovation, technology and investment options, those rules may quickly become outdated or irrelevant. This is ... READ MORE >
Financial Services
Comprising everything from private equity firms to family offices, financiers are active participants in the middle market. They provide the vital capital infusions needed to take growth companies to the next level.
Private equity is booming. So why are fewer middle market launches planned for 2020?
These are heady times for the private equity industry. With interest rates low and doubts swirling about the bull market’s longevity – not to mention dreary returns in the competing hedge fund industry – investors are pouring cash into private equity funds. Indeed, there is more private equity capital to deploy than ever before. According to Preqin, a ... READ MORE >
As the Wuhan virus spreads, bond markets take notice
For a while last year, it seemed that yields on U.S. Treasuries were on an upward path as trade tensions with China eased and recession fears calmed. But all that has changed as fears over the outbreak of the Wuhan virus in China have combined with moderated corporate earnings and continued delays over the Boeing 737 Max to suppress those yields. On ... READ MORE >
Middle market hedge funds, facing a squeeze, look to AI and alternative data
Hedge funds appear vulnerable headed in to 2020. Portfolio gains have been sluggish, fees are at their lowest levels since tracking began, and 2019 ended a five-year period when investors pulled out more money than they invested in the industry. This all took place amid increased geopolitical risk resulting from China trade tensions and, most recently, ... READ MORE >
Declining demand for commercial loans points to continued uncertainty
Demand for commercial loans softened dramatically in the third quarter, as noted by both the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, signaling that businesses continue to be cautious about making capital investments amid a not-yet-signed trade deal with China and slowing economic growth. Both large and small firms ... READ MORE >
Private equity looks for recession-proof deals
These are flush times for American private equity funds. Through November, they have raised more capital than any other fiscal year. But a good portion of that cash has not been put to use – yet. One reason is that many takeover targets have simply become too expensive, a dynamic reflected in the drop in deal activity for 2019. According to RSM Bloomberg, ... READ MORE >
As large ETF sponsors capture more of a surging industry, can the middle market keep up?
Exchange-traded funds, which have existed for just over a quarter century, have indeed come of age as an investment product. With approximately $4 trillion in assets under management and more than $1 trillion in net inflows over the past three years alone in the United States, ETFs have been propelled by the rise in popularity in passive investing over ... READ MORE >
Buzz on pot legislation fades as focus turns to vaping
It was a rare source of consensus in a divided Congress: in September, the House of Representatives passed a bill designed to ease the flow of money to cannabis companies around the nation. By stripping away federal penalties on providing financial services to these businesses, the bill would go a long way to grease the financial gears of a budding ... READ MORE >
In the free-for-all among retail brokers, will the middle market be left behind?
Charles Schwab Corp. announced recently that it would eliminate trading commissions for retail investors, making Schwab the latest Wall Street broker to embrace the push to zero commissions. But with $3.75 trillion in assets, Schwab is in a position to make such an aggressive move. Like other larger retail e-brokers, Schwab is capitalizing on its scale ... READ MORE >
Passive investing reaches a milestone, surpassing value of active counterparts
For years a profound shift has been taking place in the financial community as individual investors have increasingly favored a passive, low-cost approach over the traditional actively traded assets. Last year, that shift reached a significant milestone as the value of assets under passive management surpassed the value of active investing assets. For ... READ MORE >