Markets in Focus

What’s the main driver of inflation in this economy? It’s not monetary policy, says James Camp, CFA, Managing Director of Fixed Income and Strategic Income at Eagle Asset Management. James joins Matt Orton, CFA, to unpack the long-term structural trends shaping income investing, today’s striking lack of volatility in bond markets, why he believes fixed income has a long-term edge over cash, and wh...

Equities have set new record highs each week, but will a government shutdown – and the absence of key economic data – change their trajectory? Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, and Market Strategy Research Associate Joey Del Guercio, CFA, discuss why corporate earnings may take on more importance and where investors can find ballasts for their portfolios.

Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, asks Steven DeSanctis, managing director and head of small- and mid-cap equity strategy at Jefferies, about the second-order effects of lower interest rates on small-cap companies and how major indices tracking these companies have changed. They also discuss what increased retail investor activity means for the small-cap universe and consider the importance...

Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, and Market Strategy Research Associate Joey Del Guercio, CFA, discuss what’s dominating investor psyches: How September cuts from the Fed could affect the investment landscape. Meanwhile, although major hyperscalers with cash on their balance sheets may remain unaffected by interest rate changes, the big winners in artificial intelligence (AI) are facing ev...

Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, sits down with Jim Furey, CFA, founder of small-cap specialist Furey Research Partners, to pinpoint exactly what’s shaping today’s small-cap dynamics. Furey reveals the subtle yet powerful ways interest rates influence smaller companies, explores where the ongoing low-quality rally could head next, and highlights sectors he believes look attractive—and whic...

What’s driving the interest in emerging markets and international investing? Kevin Carter, Founder & Chief Investment Officer of EMQQ Global, joins Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, to explore how the falling dollar and other factors have been drivers of the emerging markets rally and the interesting opportunity this presents for investors to diversify.

As Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, and Market Strategy Research Associate Joey Del Guercio, CFA, look at the first earnings announcements issued after “Liberation Day,” they consider how risk sentiment is holding up and what happened to the divergence between hard and soft economic data from earlier in the year.

Matt Orton, CFA sits down with Ed Mills, managing director and Washington policy analyst at Raymond James, to break down the policy catalysts most likely to move markets.

Chief Market Strategist Matt Orton, CFA, and Market Strategy Research Associate Joey Del Guercio, CFA, delve into how to calibrate the case for global equities. They also explore what the conflict between Israel and Iran could mean for oil— and everything else —alongside Matt’s takeaways from his recent trip to India, submersible drones and the evolution of military spending, what Treasuries can d...

Are rising risk asset prices the result of long-term allocation changes or short-term trades? Matt Orton, CFA, and Joey Del Guercio, CFA, talk about debt downgrades, risk asset prices, and whether bond market disruptions are caused by structural flows or genuine increases in the costs of capital. They also discuss the expansionary effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and possibly the most imp...

Questions about the U.S. dollar’s future as the world’s reserve currency aren’t new. And, yes, some central banks have slowly begun moving to dollar alternatives over the past several decades. Now the questions are back. Announced U.S. tariffs have turbocharged volatility, cast a shadow over economic growth, seen the dollar sell off, and spurred discussion about whether U.S. stocks can continue to...

Although it’s too early to say that corporate earnings have fallen off a cliff, Matt Orton, CFA, argues that estimates need to be revised downwards — even if they may not need to fall that much. He and Joey Del Guercio consider alternatives to calling a bottom for equities, ask whether the United States is ceding its importance in investor portfolios, and discuss the future path of interest rates,...

Investor focus has shifted from fiscal policy to tariff effects, and the ensuing roller coaster of multi-standard-deviation market moves has left everyone wondering what comes next. Matt Orton, CFA, and Joey del Guercio discuss what’s happening with inflation expectations, whether the “Fed put” is still in effect, and which narratives can be seen in hard and soft economic data.

The U.S. Federal Reserve had difficulty meeting its interest rate targets in the two decades leading up to COVID — will a more proactive approach deliver better results? Matt Orton, CFA, is joined by Neil Aggarwal, Portfolio Manager and Head of Securitized Products at Reams Asset Management, and Eugenio Aleman, Chief Economist at Raymond James to discuss why 2022’s interest rate hikes were differe...

A steady flow of concerning news from China has caused an extended downturn for emerging market stocks. Still, in his interview with Matt Orton, CFA, Chief Market Strategist at Raymond James Investment Management, renowned EM investor Kevin T. Carter noted that he believes the long-term growth trends for these markets remain intact. A rising middle-class is eager to purchase the consumer goods tha...

A turbulent 2022 for all categories of stocks and a long-term cycle of outperformance from large caps have caused many investors to lose confidence in small caps. Yet the long-term outlook for small caps could be bright, according to Matt McGeary, CFA, a manager of small- and mid-cap strategies at Eagle Asset Management, and Tim Miller, CFA, a manager of small-cap portfolios at Scout Investments....

Now that the era of “growth at any price” has ended, newly converted value enthusiasts are questioning margins and the true return on their investments. Tariq Siddiqi, CFA, Senior Research Analyst at Eagle Asset Management, refuses to follow the crowd and keeps growth profiles at the forefront, pinpointing companies best positioned to capitalize on persistent secular trends. For Siddiqi, these opp...

Bonds are once again asserting their role as a store of value, portfolio diversifier, and income generator. James Camp, CFA, Managing Director of Fixed Income and Strategic Income at Eagle Asset Management, and Burton Mulford, CFA, Portfolio Manager overseeing all of Eagle's municipal strategies, delve into the likely course of monetary policy, its economic impact, and the implications for investo...

Inflation was the dominant story for the market in 2022, but not the only story. Beneath the surface, factors such as growth vs. value often shifted rapidly, temporarily altering the character of the market. Steve Singleton, Head of Portfolio and Investment Risk at Raymond James Investment Management, and Peter M. Schofield, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager for Chartwell Investment Partners’ Dividend...

With recession looming in 2023, it’s worth considering how much the Fed can even do at this point, and whether monetary and fiscal policies have a chance of cushioning the shock once again. Jason Richey, CFA, Co-Portfolio Manager at Cougar Global Investments, provides insights on U.S. versus international markets, minimizing risk, and positioning portfolios for an economic slowdown

Global storms are brewing, and a key question for investors is whether a global recession is inevitable. Antonina Tarassiouk, fixed income analyst at Reams Asset Management, and David Vaughn, chief investment officer for non-U.S. and global strategies at ClariVest Asset Management, discuss possible opportunities in emerging markets that may be poised for growth, despite recession fears.

The credit market has been impacted by duration shocks, high inflation, and rising borrowing costs, leading to deteriorating credit risk. Andy Toburen, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager at Chartwell Investment Partners, unpacks it all and shares how investors can navigate the dynamic credit markets and find areas of opportunity.

The business cycle and the strength of the consumer are expected to play key roles in setting the direction of the financial sector in the rest of 2022. Enrique Acedo, Research Analyst on the Equity Income Investment Team at Eagle Asset Manager, joins Matt Orton to discuss signs of worry and signs of promise in financials – an industry group that it is anything but uniform

“Drill, baby, drill” once was the mantra in the energy patch. But for the past decade, deep value investors have set the tone, demanding dividends and saying, “Show me the money.” Now the industry again is in flux, with no shortage of catalysts: pandemic, war, inflation, looming recession, growth in alternative fuels, and more. Explore headwinds, tailwinds, and trends in the energy sector with Eri...

No one thought 2022 would be easy, but the war in Ukraine, with its shocks to global energy and commodity markets, has made taming inflation even harder. James Camp, CFA, Managing Director of Fixed Income and Strategic Income at Eagle Asset Management, shares his perspective on credit and equity markets, the “creative destruction” rippling through the U.S. economy, and how the U.S. Federal Reserve...