Last week, the VettaFi AI Symposium was one of the more popular places to be in the days before Labor Day.
This week was packed with several key economic releases that helped provide insight into the overall state of the U.S. economy. Policymakers and advisors closely monitor economic indicators to understand recession risk and the direction of interest rates because the data can ultimately impact business decisions and financial markets.
There are differing opinions all around, but some reputable sources like Goldman Sachs are saying it’s increasingly unlikely. Yet the Fed is going to be raising rates further, from what it looks like because inflation is higher than they want.
Though it encountered some hiccups last month amid fears the Federal Reserve isn’t done raising interest rates, tech remains one of this year’s best-performing sectors. Some analysts believe there’s more upside to come for the S&P 500’s largest sector weight.
In an environment of pronounced volatility and less-than-certain equity and bond performance in the last few years, investors are leaning toward more complex strategies such as alternatives.
Active ETFs have had a really strong year so far in 2023, picking up advisor and investor interest. Even institutional investors have increasingly turned towards specialist, responsive management.
The S&P 500 closed August with a monthly loss of 1.71%, after a gain of 3.22% in July.
A slew of recent polls, studies, and surveys confirmed the importance and relevance of ESG investing to younger investors.
Given their overall credit risk versus safer government debt, corporate bonds may not get enough exposure in a retirement portfolio. However, they can serve a purpose as long as investors are aware of their nuances.
On Tuesday, Grayscale finally won its lawsuit against the SEC (see initial coverage here). For the past few years, Grayscale has been in an ongoing legal battle with the SEC over converting its Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC) product into a spot Bitcoin ETF.
On August 30, 2023, VettaFi hosted an Artificial Intelligence Symposium which had an extraordinary turnout, with over 1,200 advisors registered for the event.
Active ETF investing has had a big year so far, but it can still play a big role in closing out 2023. International equity ETFs can really benefit from active investing. With a strong case for international equities brewing, now may be the time to look closer.
Tuesday brought a decision felt throughout the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The United States Court of Appeals ruled that Grayscale can convert GBTC into a spot bitcoin exchange traded fund.
When it comes to AI, VettaFi’s financial futurist Dave Nadig said that thanks to ChatGPT, “we’re in this bit of a hype cycle.” But we’re also “in a bit of the reality-check cycle.”
Broadly speaking, equity-based strategies fueled the initial boom in environmental, social, and governance exchange traded fund proliferation. As a result, criticism lobbed at ESG investing has focused on equity-based ESG funds.
Some ETF issuers are not only investing in AI, but are instead investing with AI.
When discussing AI, the large companies like Microsoft, Tesla, or NVIDIA typically take up most of the oxygen. But Matthew Bartolini, managing director at State Street Global Advisors and head of SPDR Americas research, noted that “innovation happens down the cap spectrum.”
Artificial intelligence is one of the top investment themes this year and is the new megatrend likely to last for at least the next decade. BlackRock’s Jay Jacobs and Global X’s Pedro Palandrani joined VettaFi’s head of research, Todd Rosenbluth, to discuss AI investing and companies to look to in the coming years at the recent AI Symposium hosted by VettaFi.
Active ETFs have had a big year so far in 2023 by several metrics. From institutional investor interest to advisors planning to up allocations, active strategies have grown in popularity. With their ability to invest nimbly and lean on managerial expertise, that appeal makes some sense.
There is a plethora of AI-related investment opportunities, with the winners and losers yet to be determined.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to impact every corner of the economy. This technology is already changing the way data is used in investment decisions and is a burgeoning investment mega-trend. On August 30th, VettaFi will host an AI Symposium that will bring experts and thought leaders together to unpack the opportunities AI will create as it continues to rise in prominence.
VettaFi’s Artificial Intelligence Symposium is happening today. Investors and advisors seeking to better understand this complicated and exciting new technology will have the opportunity to hear from experts and thought leaders. Additionally, they can do so for free while earning CE credits. Now is the time to expand your understanding of this critical topic.
Several key economic indicators are released every week offering valuable insights into the overall health of the U.S. economy. Policymakers and advisors closely monitor economic indicators to understand recession risk and the direction of interest rates because the data can ultimately impact business decisions and financial markets.
The United States Court of Appeals announced this morning it’s ruling in favor of the Grayscale petition to convert its flagship fund, GBTC, to a bitcoin ETF. In the intricate game of chess the SEC plays with bitcoin funds, it’s a “check” for Grayscale’s white knight strategy.
A few weeks ago, VettaFi announced an AI symposium at the end of the month. Our hope was to bring some of the leading experts in asset management to discuss how the future is fast approaching.
Financial advisors have a unique job. To be competent, they must deeply understand some highly specialized topics centered around finance.
Is AI going to be a major part of our lives going forward? Is it worthy of being classified as a megatrend? What are the best ways to access it as an investment? What are investors overlooking about AI as an investment theme?
High interest rates begetting a recession was one reason many money managers were bullish on bonds after a bearish 2022. While the economy continues to run hot and a recession may not arrive, some suspect a bond bull market is still ahead.
Advisors and investors typically allocate to index funds and exchange traded funds linked to well-known benchmarks, such as the S&P 500, in the name of diversification. After all, these funds are homes to hundreds of stocks and those sizable rosters imply some level of diversity.
Longer-dated US Treasuries – those with maturities of 5 years or longer – continue to struggle. At best, coupon payments are keeping investors relatively flat.
International stocks and the related exchange traded funds have accumulated bum reputations after lengthy spells of underperforming domestic equivalents.
This weekly update tracks some of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share: bitcoin and ether. We’ve also included XRP, as it was one of the largest cryptocurrencies when this article began.
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) investing is taking the world by storm this year. With that, there are substantial, long-term investment implications.
Increasingly more advisors and investors are discovering the benefits of options strategies in their portfolios. There is great value in understanding and utilizing options strategies with the range of benefits they can provide portfolios, including protective puts.
Year-to-date, the largest exchange traded fund dedicated to real estate investment trusts (REITs) is saddled with a small loss, while the S&P 500 is higher by about 15%.
When it comes to large- and mega-cap stocks benefiting from the artificial intelligence (AI) craze, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) are among the obvious choices.
With the Fed’s tightening on monetary policy and the constant threat of a recession looming, policymakers and advisors are closely monitoring economic indicators because the data can ultimately impact business decisions and financial markets.
Thanks to NVIDIA stock, the ETF is now up over 50% YTD — and it could keep climbing, as investor interest in AI continues to heat up.
Over the past 12-24 months of rate hikes, short-term and ultra-short-term bond ETFs have served income-seeking investors well. But as interest rates continue to rise, exposures farther out on the curve have begun to offer attractive yields, too.
Approval of a spot bitcoin exchange traded fund in the U.S. is one of the most widely anticipated and delayed events in the roughly three-decade history of the ETF industry.
Todd Rosenbluth appeared on TD Ameritrade to discuss artificial intelligence in advance of VettaFi’s upcoming August 30th AI Symposium.
This year has been the year of innovation, with artificial intelligence (AI) all the rage. Yet, many advisors are focusing on other investment styles to round out client portfolios.
With so much uncertainty remaining around the Fed’s rate cycle and the potential for recession, many investors are beginning to look toward international equity markets for the means to build income. Yields continue to look attractive for international dividend ETFs, in particular.
In 2023, it’s fair to say that artificial intelligence (AI) is one of this year’s most captivating investment themes. Add to that, from the perspectives of adoption, applications, and investing, AI is still in its infancy. This indicates market participants will be hearing about it for years to come.
Artificial intelligence is one of the most controversial topics across many fields. Though many see AI has a critical tool for improving productivity and increasing efficiency, there are also concerns. Artists and other creatives have raised questions about how AI could be stealing their work.
For this edition of Bull vs. Bear, Elle Caruso and Karrie Gordon discuss the likelihood of continued strong returns for semiconductor ETFs.
Data extracted from all of VettaFi’s digital properties from the data and analytics tool Explorer indicate that investor interest in real estate ETFs has remained steady in the past three months. VettaFi’s LOGICLY tool allows us to examine some of the leading ETFs in the U.S. real estate space.
The yield on the 10-year note ended August 11, 2023, at 4.16%, the two-year note ended at 4.89%, and the 30-year at 4.24%.
VettaFi head of research Todd Rosenbluth appeared on Yahoo! Finance to discuss ETFs with unexpected demand — including AI-focused ETFs.
