Investment Planning

Should Investors Avoid China Due to Rising US-China Tensions?

No, we still believe China remains an important exposure for investment portfolios. However, US-China tensions will continue to escalate. Investors need to reaffirm both the rationale and implementation of their China investment strategy and must communicate this with key stakeholders. For further reading, please see the “Decoupling” section of Celia Dallas and Wade O’Brien’s “VantagePoint:…

Navigating Market Crises: Insights and Recommendations from US Plan Sponsors

With the initial chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic somewhat behind us but much uncertainty and potential volatility ahead, plan sponsors will be well served by focusing on—and possibly recalibrating—some core plan management elements. These approaches include liquidity management, rebalancing processes and opportunities, governance, and communication.

Benefits of Global Diversification

Investors are now grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has sent global equities into bear market territory as the threat of a severe recession weighs on the global economy. These are challenging, uncertain times for equity markets. As investors work to ensure their portfolios will be robust through this downturn and are positioned for the eventual rebound, we offer a review of the critical benefits of global equity diversification and examine considerations related to home bias, rebalancing strategies, and currency impacts.

VantagePoint: Is It Time to Overweight Equities?

In periods of market stress, it can be difficult to rebalance, much less overweight risky assets like equities. In this paper, we review our approach using multiple lenses: magnitude and duration of drawdowns relative to history, cheapness of valuations, and presence of pre-conditions for markets to begin their ascent. Such an approach can help investors tune out the emotion and dial in on the hard data and most probable outcomes even in the face of great uncertainty. While opportunities are developing across many markets, investors should hold off on broad overweights to risky assets at this time.

Navigating Healthcare System Investments Through the Coronavirus Crisis

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has inflicted significant duress upon the operational and financial situations of nonprofit healthcare systems. An immediate response was necessary to escalate staffing, spending, and resources to provide emergency treatment to those affected by this highly contagious outbreak.

Treasury Bond Yields Plunge to Historic Lows

Yields on ten-year Treasuries dropped below 50 basis points (bps) today for the first time in history as COVID-19 fears spread. While we cannot rule out a recession, given the uncertainties associated with the virus and its impact on economic activity, we believe today’s low yields are less about long-term growth forecasts and more about expectations of further Federal Reserve easing, risk aversion, and liquidity preferences.