The Complex Relationship Between Inflation and Asset Prices

March 23, 2020— As we write in March 2020, COVID-19 is spreading across much of the world, undercutting economic activity. While how this situation will unfold is not entirely clear, we have long believed that the best way to guard against future uncertainty is to have a well-constructed portfolio. One key component in that is understanding the relationship between asset prices and inflation.

March 2020

VantagePoint: The Bear Awakens

March 18, 2020—The bear has finally come out of his long hibernation, causing us to dust off our playbook for weathering bear markets.

March 2020

Europe Escalates Its Response to the Coronavirus Outbreak

March 13, 2020— This week, the Bank of England and the European Central Bank both announced stimulus measures aimed at responding to the growing impact of COVID-19.

March 2020

Structuring Healthcare System Investments for Success

Healthcare systems can benefit greatly by maximizing equity orientation and illiquidity while prudently managing risk. But a typical healthcare system may have investment assets in multiple accounts, due to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), capital projects, and fundraising, as well as operational and pension benefit growth. Investments can be curated—identified, categorized, and clustered—for optimal efficiency and cost savings. Similarly, defined benefit pension plans can be restructured to better manage pension risk and administration. This paper discusses strategies to simplify and streamline investment structures to make complexity more manageable for investment and financial executives.

March 2020

The Fed Eases as Virus Concerns Grow

March 3, 2020—The US Federal Reserve cut its policy rate by 50 basis points today, highlighting the serious challenges facing the global economy. Still, we don’t believe investors should cut risk. Very few have an informational edge regarding COVID-19’s market impact, and investors could be left underexposed when and if markets rebound.

March 2020

Pandemic Risks and Reactions

February 28, 2020—Global equities sold off sharply this week as cases of COVID-19 spread rapidly outside of China (particularly in Korea, Italy, and the Middle East). While the spike in volatility has been abrupt, the current market sell-off is arguably a needed correction.

February 2020

Coronavirus Outbreak: Initial Thoughts and Implications

Investors should stay calm. While the Wuhan coronavirus is still spreading, the virus remains less deadly and more contained than the SARS outbreak of 2002–03. Looking at other epidemics, history suggests that after an initial sharp hit, economies and markets typically recover quickly.

January 2020

Will the “Phase One” Trade Deal Bring More Stable Relations Between the United States and China?

Yes, in the near term, but longer term we expect trade, tech, and possibly finances to decouple further. The “Phase One” trade agreement provides a much-needed truce in the tariff escalation between the United States and China, as trade uncertainty has weighed on financial conditions and further slowed global trade. While some progress has been […]

January 2020