One of President Donald Trump's campaign promises was to overhaul the US tax code. The administration recently released its tax proposal, and the pundits have been weighing in on how it will affect us all. As Congress continues to debate the latest version of the plan, which passed through the House of Representatives on November 16,

My colleagues and I have been championing the message that emerging markets have changed—they are no longer just commodity plays. Old economic models are undergoing a transformation in many cases, opening up exciting new investment opportunities.

In 2017, the Bank of Canada and the Bank of England joined the US Federal Reserve in raising interest rates from at or near record lows. However, Chris Siniakov and Andrew Canobi of Franklin Templeton’s Australian Fixed Income team say the Reserve Bank of Australia will likely take a more cautious approach...

Risk management is a key part of many endeavors, from space travel to investment management. In either case, achieving one's goals requires awareness of what could go wrong, as well as careful attention to details in often-changing conditions to ensure the smoothest possible journey

In the latest edition of “Global Macro Shifts,” the Templeton Global Macro team examines the plans to start shrinking the US Federal Reserve’s (Fed’s) balance sheet and the potential impacts to financial markets.

Many years ago, I had visited Chile and wanted to learn more about a mining company there. Its CEO happened to be a Croatian who had immigrated to Chile and became quite wealthy. At the time of our meeting in the late 1990s, we traveled together to a large Chilean copper mine and he showed me the entire operation.

Even though they may not know it, many global consumers have at least one loan tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). Yet, LIBOR’s regulator is calling for an end to the rate by the end of 2021.

Janet Yellen’s term as US Federal Reserve (Fed) chair ends early next year, and President Donald Trump decided not to extend her tenure as head of the US central bank. His pick to lead the Fed is Jerome Powell.

If you are like many people, you probably have put plenty of thought into what your ideal retirement would look like. Maybe it involves exotic travel, pursuing a favorite hobby or spending more time with friends and family.

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) has generated a lot of excitement, but also some (perhaps justified) paranoia. Will computers replace—or even overtake—human beings?

Retirees were likely quite excited to see news that their Social Security benefits are set to rise in 2018. Gail Buckner, CFP, our personal retirement and financial planning strategist, says of course that’s a welcome development. However, she points out the 2% increase still leaves many Americans far short of what they are likely to need to meet expenses.

Shinzo Abe’s coalition victory in the October 22 snap election helps pave the way for his fourth term as Japanese prime minister. Here, Templeton Global Equity Group’s Cindy Sweeting and Alan Chua give their take on what Abe’s pro-growth policies could mean for Japan’s investment landscape.

Templeton Emerging Markets Group has a wide investment universe to cover—tens of thousands of companies in markets on nearly every continent. While we are bottom-up investors, we also take into account big-picture context. Here, I share the team’s overview of what has happened in the emerging-markets universe in the third quarter of 2017, including some key events, milestones and data points to offer some perspective.

Even in the face of rising US interest rates over the past year, corporate credit has been resilient, particularly in the high-yield category. Ed Perks, executive vice president and chief investment officer, Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions, takes a look at the corporate credit landscape and says fixed income investors still have plenty of reasons to be positive about the asset class.

Recent data have supported our view that the drivers of the US economy’s solid expansion remain in place, and should allow the US Federal Reserve (Fed) to move further toward its goal of normalizing interest rates. Some data releases have clearly been skewed by the recent major hurricanes, but we feel any negative impact on the economy is likely to be transient and outweighed by demand arising from reconstruction.

When world leaders talk, markets react. And with social media becoming mainstream, politicians have a new way of getting their message to the masses.

This month, China’s leadership kicks off its 19^th Communist Party Congress, a meeting which sets the agenda for China’s political, economic and even social path in years to come. More than 2,000 delegates from China’s ruling elite attend the Congress, which takes place every five years.

I’ve recently shared some of my views about rising tensions on the Korean peninsula as well as the political and business landscape in South Korea, which are often intertwined. While there are challenges and uncertainties in South Korea, we haven’t so far let that deter us as investors.

K2 Advisors seeks to add value through active portfolio management, tactical allocation and diversification across four main hedge strategies: long/short equity, relative value, global macro and event driven. In their fourth-quarter (Q4) 2017 outlook, K2 Advisors’ Research and Portfolio Construction teams share the key market events they have an eye on.

My recent travels took me to South Korea at an interesting time given mounting tensions with its neighbor to the north. My colleagues and I got a pulse check on some of the reforms taking place, including those related to the family-run conglomerate companies known as chaebols.

It’s been roughly 10 years since the 2007–2009 Global Financial Crisis began to unfold. It left lasting scars on the global economy and left many investors deeply wounded, too. Here, Tony Coffey, senior vice president and portfolio manager, Franklin Templeton Multi-Asset Solutions, explains why investors who sold everything in a panic probably bore the worst scars.

Philippe Brugere-Trelat, Franklin Mutual Series executive vice president and portfolio manager, Franklin Mutual European Fund, discusses the outlook for French President Emmanuel Macron’s eurozone proposals and European equities in the current political climate. Is Macron’s eurozone “wish list” in jeopardy?

The world is watching the Korean peninsula. The situation between North and South Korea has been tense for a long time, but it has been escalating amid increasingly bold rhetoric and threats from the leaders of North Korea and the United States.

Angela Merkel’s re-election as German Chancellor was very much expected, but the implications of her victory are harder to predict. Here three of our portfolio managers with a particular interest in Europe share their views on what Merkel’s victory could mean for the region.

Here, Franklin Equity Group's Steve Land digs deeper into industry fundamentals that he thinks make for an attractive longer-term investment case for gold or gold stocks

The issues that have dominated news cycles in recent weeks should not obscure the robust underlying fundamentals of the US economy, in our view. Though some short-term weather-related disruption is possible, the economy seems to be maintaining its path of moderately strong growth, aided by healthy contributions from consumer spending and business investment.

The Federal Reserve’s September policy meeting played out largely as expected, as US monetary policymakers left the central bank’s benchmark short-term interest rate unchanged. The Fed did clarify when it would begin to unwind its hefty balance sheet, and updated its economic forecasts and interest-rate projections.

My colleagues and I have been actively speaking about the evolution taking place in many emerging markets over the past few decades. We’ve seen dramatic shifts occurring, with the often one-dimensional economic models of the past giving way to new and diverse growth drivers.

As Germany prepares to go to the polls in its general election, David Zahn, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group’s head of European fixed income, considers what the result could mean for Europe, the European Union and the eurozone.

Global markets have been relatively calm this summer despite many uncertainties. Geopolitical risks have continued across the globe, and in some areas, looming monetary policy changes also appear likely. A key question for many investors is whether the sleepy summer period of low volatility will give way to a more turbulent autumn.

French President Emmanuel Macron is preparing to take on France’s powerful unions as he attempts to overhaul the country’s labor code. Here, Philippe Brugere-Trelat, Franklin Mutual Series executive vice president and portfolio manager, Franklin Mutual European Fund, explains why a Macron victory on this front could open up opportunities for investing in French equities.

Speculation had been rife that the European Central Bank might have used its September Governing Council meeting to signal the start of tapering for its quantitative easing program. That confirmation didn’t come, switching attention to the October 26 meeting.

As the focus of my work is emerging markets, I don’t spend a lot of time in the United States anymore, even though I grew up there. But like many people, I took a bit of time off this summer to enjoy a visit with family. We traveled to Mackinac Island in the state of Michigan, situated in Lake Huron.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (known as ASEAN) celebrated its 50-year anniversary in early August. The regional cooperative was established in 1967 with Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore as founding members. Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia later joined.

As the traditional summer lull in market activity draws to a close, investor attention turns to key monetary policy meetings across the globe, kicking off with the European Central Bank meeting on September 7, which some commentators believe could see the announcement of a change in monetary policy approach.

A large chunk of French President Emmanuel Macron’s first 100 days in office came at a time when many Europeans were on holiday break. Here, Philippe Brugere-Trelat, Franklin Mutual Series Executive Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Franklin Mutual European Fund, says it’s unfair to judge Macron on such a short timeframe.

Myanmar represents one of the newest frontier markets, and is one I’ve been anxious to learn more about. Long isolated with a military regime, Myanmar has been undergoing a transition over the past few years. After five decades of military dictatorship, it is now under civilian rule.

In this month’s Global Economic Perspective, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group takes a look at recent US economic data, and increased skepticism among many market participants about whether the Federal Reserve will implement another increase in interest rates before the end of the year.

Since the infamous “dot com” meltdown nearly two decades ago, people have tended to question any sort of extended run-up in technology-sector stocks.

A few months ago I was honored to speak at the prestigious SALT investment conference in the US city of Las Vegas. It had been quite a while since I’d been to Las Vegas. The activity and energy of the place really surprised me, even though I don’t gamble.

Receding political anxiety and a gathering economic recovery in Europe helped global equity markets advance in the first half of 2017. Yet Templeton Global Equity Group’s Cindy Sweeting and Tony Docal say investors should be somewhat cautious in the second half of the year.

India has embarked on a sweeping reform movement under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has attracted investors’ attention. Templeton Global Macro CIO Michael Hasenstab recently visited India, and takes a look at some of the reforms he’s most excited about as a global fixed-income investor.

Emerging-market (EM) equities (as represented by the MSCI Emerging Markets Index) have extended their 2016 recovery. In the first half of 2017, the MSCI EM Index returned 18.60%, compared with an 11.02% gain in the MSCI World Index.

Overall, we believe small-cap stocks in emerging markets offer attractive prospects for active managers. A multitude of mispriced securities, market inefficiencies and a paucity of research provide considerable investment opportunities, in our view.

In this month’s Global Economic Perspective, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group dives into diverging central bank policy and weighs in on whether the European Central Bank is likely to be less accommodative—and what its timing might look like.

If you’re like many working Americans, you may be concerned about the state of Social Security and whether it will be there for you when you retire. Gail Buckner, CFP, our personal retirement and financial planning strategist, explores some myths about Social Security and eases some concerns about its future.

Twenty years ago, the world was standing on the brink of the Asian Financial Crisis. Here, Templeton Global Macro CIO Michael Hasenstab looks at how the response of local policymakers in the subsequent two decades has impacted emerging markets in general.

Every year the Trustees of the US Social Security and Medicare trust funds provide their report on the current and projected financial status of these programs.

After three disappointing years in the middle of this decade, it's been a smoother course for hedge-fund strategies over the past 12 months. K2 Advisors' Senior Managing Director Brooks Ritchey offers his analysis to explain why he sees some tailwinds ahead.

Here, I share the team’s overview of what happened in the emerging-markets universe in the second quarter of 2017, including some key events, milestones and data points to offer some perspective.