WrapManager's Wealth Management Blog

Fixed income remains our asset class of choice. With the Fed signaling its willingness to unleash QEII and a faltering growth outlook, Treasuries, we suspect will remain underpinned at the current low yields. With sound credit fundamentals, credit should continue to provide attractive yield. That said, with yields now at historic lows and spreads not too far from historic averages, the outsized returns from fixed income will be increasingly limited going forward. Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Allegiance Capital [+] Read More

Now that healthcare reform is the law of the land, the multi-trillion-dollar question is, who will prosper and who will suffer? Lord Abbett experts assess the potential opportunities and pitfalls in a complex and sometimes perplexing new environment, where many new rules have yet to be written. Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Lord Abbett Company Llc [+] Read More

That's not my quote; that comes from the Oracle of Omaha. At an economic development summit in Montana on Monday, Warren Buffett said business at all his firm's diverse businesses is on the rise. His comments fit with much of the recent economic data that has been pouring in, including some this week (see below). Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Federated Investors Inc [+] Read More

While our belief continues to be that a double-dip scenario is unlikely, we think the odds that we may be headed back into recession have increased ever so slightly. In our opinion the economy is moving along at a rate of growth akin to stall speed, an aeronautical concept that describes the speed below which an airplane cannot create enough lift to sustain its weight. The longer our economy proceeds at this low level of growth, the greater the chances in our view that some exogenous factor or event could be enough of a headwind to push the economy into recession. Download Full Commmentary Here [+] Read More

Although the recession may have ended in the third quarter of 2009, a number of threats to the recovery continue to loom. Some believe that one of these is the stagnation of the securitization market. As the Financial Times reported last year, "Securitized markets - which financed more than half of all credit in the United States in the years immediately preceding the crisis - are essential for the U.S. economy. Without a recovery in these markets, the flow of credit will not return to more normal levels, even if U.S. banks overcome their problems." Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Lord Abbett Company Llc [+] Read More

One of the most important features of the investment markets of the last decade or more has been the gradual rise, across the globe, in the correlation relationships between assets of all types. That is, markets are increasingly moving together. These markets can be as diverse as an emerging country equity index and a domestic equity sector…Too much similarity among dissimilar investments leads, in fact, to instability. Download Full Commmentary Here [+] Read More

Much of the regulation's implementation has been left to regulators, which limits the ability to quantify its overall effects. While there isn't full clarity at this point, it is important to recognize that this is one of the largest pieces of financial legislation in the last 100 years, and the most significant since the 1930s. While politics are inherently messy, we think this reform is a step in the right direction for the health of the U.S. banking system's long-term profitability, as well as for the overall economic growth of America. Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about Janus Capital Management LLC [+] Read More

The first half of 2010 was mired with inconsistencies. The markets rallied to new recovery highs only to fall back to fourth quarter levels as uncertainly about the recovery and fears of the debt problems in Europe were said to be spreading. The reality is the markets finished the quarter about 12% above last years Q2 close, even after digesting most of the bad news. Download Full Commmentary Here [+] Read More

The US economic rebound has been relatively modest, in contrast with previous recoveries from deep recessions. Although the initial stage of recovery was sparked by a new mix of growth drivers, led by exports, we believe that a sustainable cycle will require broader contributions from domestic sectors as well. Download Full Commmentary Here Get Free Research Reports about AllianceBernstein LP [+] Read More