The Two-Lifetime Challenge: How to Fund Your Retirement and Theirs
Families caring for adult children with disabilities face a double‑layered retirement challenge: they must secure their own financial future while ensuring lifelong support for their dependents. With nearly one million U.S. households in this situation, advisors recommend special‑needs trusts, targeted life‑insurance policies, and a mix of growth‑ and low‑risk investments to stretch assets over 30‑40 years beyond the parents’ death. State‑by‑state variations in Medicaid and other benefits further complicate planning, making regular professional reviews essential.
Invesco Has Cut the Management Fee on the MSCI World ETF to 0.05%. The Fund Is Now the Cheapest Option...
Invesco announced a fee reduction for its MSCI World UCITS ETF, cutting the expense ratio to 0.05% effective 1 April 2026. The change trims 19 basis points, making the fund the cheapest MSCI World exposure compared with an industry average of 0.20%....
USA: Discount Opens Up, Creating A 'Buy' Opportunity (Upgrade)
The Liberty All‑Star Equity Fund (ticker USA) is now trading roughly 10% below its net asset value, a sharp reversal from the premium it previously enjoyed. The fund’s portfolio is heavily weighted toward the Magnificent 7 tech names, which has depressed...
Zenkyoren Targets Mid-Guidance Pricing for $100m Nakama Re 2026-1 Japan Quake Cat Bond
Zenkyoren, Japan’s agricultural mutual insurer, is pursuing mid‑guidance pricing of 2.1% for its $100 million Nakama Re 2026‑1 catastrophe bond, a slight reduction from the original 1.9‑2.4% spread range. The bond provides fully‑collateralized earthquake reinsurance covering losses from an attachment point...
Gold and Silver Prices Plunge: Why Has Safe-Haven Demand Faded Amid Iran War?
Gold prices have slumped about 25% from their record $5,602 (≈€4,873) peak to around $4,500 (≈€3,915) despite the ongoing Iran war, as a stronger US dollar and rising Treasury yields eroded safe‑haven appeal. The drop triggered a rapid unwind of...
Buy, License, or Build? Why Most Firms Struggle to Enter the UAE
Global firms are increasingly targeting the UAE as a financial and technology hub, but many stumble because they treat entry options—buy, license, or build—as interchangeable. The article argues that aligning the chosen route with the UAE's fragmented regulatory landscape (DIFC,...
Why High Oil Prices Could Plunge World Into Recession by the Summer
Economists warn that a sustained oil price of $150 per barrel, driven by escalating US‑Israel‑Iran tensions, could push the global economy into a rare mid‑year recession. Brent crude already breached $116, reflecting heightened war risk and supply concerns. Oxford Economics...
BYD Earnings: Profit in Line but Vehicle Margin Disappoints Due to Intense Competition
BYD reported a 17% year‑on‑year drop in fourth‑quarter automobile revenue, with net profit falling 38% as vehicle margins slipped to 21.6%, down 150 basis points. Domestic sales plunged 29% amid aggressive new‑model launches, while exports rose to 26% of total...
Dividend Growth Bi-Weekly Chat 03/30/2026
The latest Dividend Growth Bi‑Weekly Chat highlighted a 7‑fund portfolio delivering a 9.42% trailing yield on cost and a 14.67% annualized return, beating the S&P 500 while exhibiting 20% lower volatility. It also examined the primary risk in Business Development Companies...
Managing Volatile Energy Prices: How DERMS Give C&I Customers More Control
Commercial electricity prices have jumped 19% since 2019, reaching 12.8 cents per kilowatt‑hour, while industrial rates hit 8.1 cents/kWh, driving unprecedented cost volatility for C&I firms. Traditional procurement and efficiency measures no longer shield margins, prompting a shift toward Distributed Energy Resource...
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What Is the Average Credit Score for People in Their 40s and 50s? How Do You Stack Up?
Americans in their 40s and 50s hold an average FICO score in the low 700s, roughly matching the overall U.S. average of 715. Experian’s data shows scores climb steadily as borrowers age, reflecting longer payment histories and broader credit mixes....
APAC’s Urbanising Economies Power the Global Steam and Gas Turbine Market
The GlobalData report projects APAC’s gas turbine market to reach $7.4 bn by 2030, cementing the region as the world’s largest thermal‑power hub. Rapid urbanisation, industrialisation and a 5 % annual rise in electricity demand are driving massive capacity additions, with steam...
FDEM: Emerging Markets ETF Beating The Benchmark But Lagging Competitors
Fidelity’s Emerging Markets Multifactor ETF (FDEM) launched in February 2019 and uses a blend of valuation, quality, momentum, low volatility and low U.S. correlation factors. Since inception it has outperformed the traditional EEM benchmark on earnings growth, valuation and risk...
Global X Australia Launches the Global X Humanoid Robotics ETF
Global X Australia and Solactive have launched the Global X Humanoid Robotics ETF (ticker HMND) on the Australian Securities Exchange, debuting on 30 March 2026. The fund tracks the Solactive Global Humanoid Robotics AUD Index, which selects 30 companies deriving...
Meituan: A Messy Quarter, But Underlying Trends Are Positive
Meituan reported a loss in Q4, but analysts see the dip as superficial, noting stronger user quality and a recovering margin profile. The company’s upgraded membership program is lifting average revenue per user and reducing churn, while low‑margin orders are...
SIP Investing Made Smarter: How to Use a SIP Calculator to Build Long-Term Wealth
The article explains how Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) in mutual funds can build long‑term wealth, emphasizing that time in the market beats timing. It highlights the power of compounding, rupee‑cost averaging, and financial discipline as core benefits. A SIP calculator...
AI’s Hidden Winners: Investing Along the Value Chain
The AI boom has pushed investors toward a handful of mega‑caps, inflating valuations and exposing them to correction risk. Analysts argue that true growth lies upstream in the hardware supply chain, where firms like TSMC, Micron, Corning and Amphenol provide...
RHB Initiates ‘Buy’ on iFast on Rising Asia-Pacific Wealth Management Demand
RHB has initiated a “buy” rating on iFast, setting a target price of S$12.20 (≈$9.00) – a 36.7% upside from the recent close of S$8.94 (≈$6.60). The broker highlights the rapid expansion of Asia‑Pacific wealth management, projected to reach $41.8 trillion...
High School Can Be a Pathway to Financial Wellness: Here's How to Get More Kids on It
Financial stress hits teens early, shaping confidence and future choices. A Harvard‑based study shows money habits form in childhood, making high school a pivotal moment for intervention. Today 35 of 50 states mandate personal‑finance courses, but effective programs must blend...
Why Venture Investing Could Be a Win-Win for Family Offices
Family offices are increasingly turning to venture investing as a strategic extension of their philanthropic mission. By deploying permanent, patient capital into early‑stage companies, they can generate scalable solutions to health, climate, education and technology challenges while preserving the potential...
Gold Falls as Houthi Attack Lifts Oil, Fed Rate-Cut Hopes Dim
Gold prices slipped on Monday, with spot gold falling 0.6% to $4,466.99 per ounce, marking a 15% monthly decline—the sharpest since October 2008. The drop was driven by a surge in energy prices after a Houthi attack, which lifted Brent...
Congo Deepens China Mining Ties Amid US Rivalry
The Democratic Republic of Congo signed a new agreement with China to deepen cooperation in its mining sector, covering geological data sharing, investment protection, and promotion of local processing. The deal gives Chinese firms priority on the MIFOR iron‑ore project...
European Bank Stocks to Snap Record Quarterly Run on Iran, AI
European bank stocks are set to break a historic 13‑quarter winning streak as the Stoxx 600 Banks Index slides 8.7% year‑to‑date. The rally, fueled by strong earnings and robust capital returns, is now being eclipsed by heightened geopolitical tension from...
Hospitality: Luxury Styles
Los Angeles is gearing up for the 2027 FIFA World Cup, the 2025 NFL Super Bowl and the 2028 Olympic Games, yet its hotel pipeline is slowing as construction costs, higher interest rates and short‑term rentals curb new affordable projects....
OpEd: Money Managers: Note Shifts in Bonds
David Kang argues that Los Angeles institutions must reassess long‑standing bond assumptions as market conditions evolve. Decades of low volatility and steady monetary policy gave way to wider non‑directional interest‑rate swings, challenging traditional duration‑heavy, long‑end allocations. Liquidity, once taken for granted,...
Three Profitable Indian Stocks for Long-Term Growth
The Ashoka India Equity Investment Trust highlights three core holdings—Bharti Airtel, ICICI Bank and Bajaj Finserv—as its top long‑term profit drivers. Each company combines strong return‑on‑capital metrics with attractive valuations, positioning them to capture growth in India's telecom, banking and diversified...
South Korea Considers Nationwide Driving Curbs as Oil Prices Soar
South Korea is weighing a nationwide driving‑curb policy if global crude oil prices climb to roughly $120‑$130 per barrel, up from the current $100‑$110 range. The measure would extend the current public‑sector vehicle rotation system, marking the first country‑wide restriction...
Markets Bleed at Midday: Sensex Down 1,053 Points, Banks Lead Losses as Crude Tops $115
Indian equities slumped at midday on March 30, with the BSE Sensex dropping 1,053 points (‑1.43%) to 72,530 and the NSE Nifty 50 falling 304 points (‑1.34%) to 22,515. The sell‑off was driven by crude oil climbing above $115 per barrel...
Gold Futures Increase on Spot Demand
Gold futures climbed 0.78% on Monday, reaching $4,528.23 per ounce in New York. In India, spot demand pushed the price of gold on the Multi‑Commodity Exchange to ₹1,44,800 per 10 grams, a ₹518 (0.36%) increase for April contracts. The rally was driven...
LABJ Stock Index: March 30
Effective succession planning is essential for family offices to ensure continuity of wealth management and business operations across generations. The article outlines six strategic considerations, ranging from legal framework reviews to emotional handling of senior family members. It emphasizes that...
Trading Technologies Previews Future Alpha
Trading Technologies (TT) will showcase its algorithmic trading suite at Future Alpha 2026, a two‑day conference in New York attended mainly by buy‑side firms. TT aims to highlight how its AI‑driven execution tools, transaction‑cost analysis (TCA) capabilities, and recent OpenGamma...
ASX Loses Ground as Big Banks Slump; Oil Prices Rise Again
The S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.7% to 8,461 as major banks fell and Brent crude surged to $116.75 a barrel amid heightened Middle‑East tensions. Houthi missile activity in the Red Sea added shipping volatility, though analysts view it as a risk rather...
Citigroup Holds Firm on S&P 500 Target Despite Iran Tensions
Citigroup reaffirmed its year‑end S&P 500 target of 7,700 points, implying a roughly 20% rally from the March 27 close of 6,368. The bank’s base case rests on projected earnings of $320 per share and expects earnings momentum to remain strong despite...
‘A Golden Period’: Seizing the Moment in European Real Estate Credit
In a recent PERE Podcast episode, LaSalle’s Isabelle Brennan and Nuveen Real Estate’s Christian Janssen discussed the emerging opportunities in European real‑estate credit as the market transitions into a new cycle. They highlighted tightening yields, increased demand for asset‑backed loans,...
UK Savers Told to Act Now Before Easter Sunday Cash Isa Deadline
UK savers must act before the 5 April Easter deadline to use the cash ISA allowance of £20,000 (≈ $25,600). Contributions hit a record £14 bn (≈ $17.9 bn) in April 2025, the highest monthly total since 1999. After this tax year the allowance drops to...
REITs Boosted by UK Property Renaissance
UK REITs like Picton Property Income and Custodian Property Income are benefiting from a quiet property market upturn, delivering positive total returns of 6.7% last year. Picton's £405 million ($514 million) REIT, focused on industrial and retail assets, posted a 4.9% yield...
IAM that Skipped ‘Private Credit’ Sees AUM Surge Sixfold
Paragon Capital Management, an independent asset manager, has grown its assets under management sixfold to SGD 1.4 billion by the end of 2025, largely by avoiding private‑credit exposure. The firm attributes its success to a fee‑only, retrocession‑free model that aligns manager incentives...
Graphene-Info Releases a New Edition of Its Graphene Investment Guide
Graphene-Info has released a new edition of its Graphene Investment Guide, updating financial data and market analysis for public graphene companies. The guide notes that despite ongoing revenue challenges, most covered firms have seen share price gains over the past...
European Markets Mixed as Iran Tensions Push Oil Prices Higher
European markets opened lower on Monday but quickly split, with Germany's DAX barely down 0.04%, while the FTSE 100 rose 0.59% and France's CAC 40 edged up 0.05%. The divergence follows a 50% jump in Brent crude since the Iran...
Prices of Asia-Pacific's Fertilisers, Petrochemicals Set to Surge on Iran War: ADB
The Asian Development Bank warns that the Iran‑Israel conflict is driving sharp increases in fertilizer and petrochemical prices across the Asia‑Pacific. Methanol benchmark prices rose about 25% in two weeks, while urea and ammonia costs surged after Qatar’s QAFCO halted...
How to Earn More Rewards with Your Credit Cards
The MoneySense guide shows Canadians how to squeeze more value from credit‑card rewards without inflating spending. It advises matching card categories to personal purchase habits, consolidating to a primary high‑earn‑rate card, and using budgeting tools to stay on track. The...
Landlords Hit as Buy-to-Let Borrowing Costs Surge
Buy‑to‑let mortgage rates have jumped, with two‑year fixes now at 5.40% and five‑year fixes at 5.91%, the highest levels in a year. A typical £250,000 (≈ $320,000) loan sees monthly repayments rise by about £1,100 (≈ $1,400). Product availability has slipped below...
Fuel Excise Halved, Truck Charges Removed for Three Months
The Australian federal government announced a temporary halving of the fuel excise, cutting pump prices by about 26.3 cents per litre, and reduced the heavy‑vehicle road user charge (RUC) to zero for three months. It also postponed a scheduled 6% RUC...
Why Faster Corporate Bond Markets Matter for the Real Economy
Recent record‑breaking corporate bond issuance, led by Amazon, has shrunk capital‑raising windows from weeks to mere hours. The speed of credit markets now hinges on rapid interpretation of massive data flows, yet many firms still rely on outdated terminals and...
Laurent Proutière: «We Are a Hybrid, Power Boutique»
Indosuez Wealth Management Asia posted a strong 2025 performance, with assets under management climbing 23% to $23 billion and transactional revenue surging 40%. The unit added $500 million of net new money, driven by a 45% rise in discretionary portfolio management assets...
Facing Section 301, ASEAN Must Reform Systems
The United States is pivoting from tariff‑based pressure to Section 301, using the trade act to label partner institutions as “unfair” and demand reforms. A recent Supreme Court ruling invalidated IEEPA tariffs, prompting the Trump administration to adopt a temporary 15%...
SPX® Call Demand Jumps on TACO Optimism
The Cboe Macro Volatility Digest reported that the VIX Index jumped 4.3 points to 31, its highest level since last April, while the broader options market remained relatively calm. The SPX Index fell 3.4% on Thursday and Friday, yet call...
Bangladesh’s Missing Billions as Trade Misinvoicing Bleeds It Dry
Investigations reveal Bangladesh lost roughly $68 bn through trade misinvoicing over the past ten years, with additional illicit outflows estimated at $23‑$27 bn from major industrial groups. The scheme involved import over‑invoicing and export under‑invoicing, facilitated by weak customs, banking oversight, and...
LatAm Has Resource Buffer if Iran War Hurts Growth: BlackRock
BlackRock’s senior strategist says Latin America’s abundant metal reserves give the region a buffer against a potential global slowdown triggered by the Iran‑Israel conflict. The area’s copper, lithium and nickel supplies are essential for the AI‑driven hardware boom, providing a...
Oil Prices Rise as Iran War Escalates with Houthi Attacks
Oil prices jumped above $116 a barrel on Sunday as Iran‑backed Houthi militants fired missiles and drones at Israel, extending the conflict into its fifth week. Brent crude rose 3.3% to $116.25, while U.S. WTI climbed about 3% to nearly...