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  • May
    10
    2012

    Goals-based Investing: Aligning Life and Wealth

    Goals-based investing offers a powerful tool to help steel clients against market fear and uncertainty by better managing human preferences, biases and behaviours that can undermine their financial success. By helping clients invest according to their unique needs, desires and time horizons in a way that encourages them to look beyond intermittent market volatility, financial advisors can differentiate themselves from the crowd and improve their own odds for long-term success. [... More]

  • Apr
    25
    2012

    First Quarter 2012: The Rally at Six Months

    The economic and financial backdrop certainly has improved since the darkdays of last autumn, but one can make the argument that the rally already reflects this improvement. Besides, newchallenges are coming into view that will test investors and the resiliency of riskier assets in the months to come. [... More]

  • Apr
    17
    2012

    First Quarter 2012 Market Update

    Since the beginning of the year, equity markets around the world have rallied strongly at the expense of the overvalued bond market. Two factors seem to have driven this improvement in risk appetite. First, the European Central Bank (ECB) opened up the policy toolkit when it introduced the Long-Term Refinancing Operation (LTRO), injecting monetary stimulus and liquidity into European banks. This ultimately tamed yields on troubled sovereign debt. Second, U.S. macroeconomic data improved, convincing investors that the U.S. may be able to lead a global recovery. [... More]

  • Mar
    16
    2012

    February 2012 Market Update

    Investor confidence received a boost from the Greek debt restructuring and bailout agreement. Equity markets gained, with risky assets among the strongest performers. Bond market performance was held back by waning demand for government debt. [... More]

  • Feb
    21
    2012

    January 2012 Market and Performance Update

    Credit rating downgrades and mixed economic news in Europe undercut optimism, but strong economic data releases from the U.S. and continued central bank support boosted sentiment. [... More]

  • Jan
    16
    2012

    Fourth Quarter 2011 Market Update

    Stock and bond markets generally rallied in October, declined in November and were mixed in December. The quarter began on a strong note as reports that the eurozone was working on a plan to restructure the European banking sector and positive U.S. economic data releases helped to foster an optimistic mood. Troubles in the eurozone dominated the headlines for much of the period, but positive economic data releases from the U.S. helped ease investor fears. [... More]

  • Dec
    15
    2011

    November 2011 Market Update

    Events in the eurozone and the U.S. resulted in a volatile month for global investments. Equity and fixed income markets declined, with risky assets among the weakest performers. Losses were partially offset by month end as news of intended joint central bank action buoyed sentiment. [... More]

  • Dec
    13
    2011

    The European Union’s ‘Fiscal Compact’—More of the Same

    While the latest European Union framework for addressing the eurozone’s government debt crisis should buy more time, it does not solve the underlying problems. The summit exposed some interesting political rifts, but SEI believes that current speculation on the euro’s inevitable demise is overdone. [... More]

  • Nov
    15
    2011

    Eurozone Crisis—U.S. Investors Focused on Capital, Counterparty Risks

    As government debt problems intensify in the European Monetary Union, financial firms outside of Europe have come under increasing pressure. The larger issue is not individual firms, but the risk of contagion from Europe to the global financial system and world economy.   [... More]

  • Nov
    14
    2011

    October 2011 Market Update

    News of a eurozone deal and positive U.S. economic data releases were welcomed by investors, before the mood began to turn sour again towards the end of the month. The short-lived positive sentiment led October’s rebound in the global equity and bond markets. In a reversal of the summer’s fortunes, equity and riskier fixed income investments performed best. [... More]

  • Oct
    14
    2011

    Third Quarter 2011 Market Update

    Global equity and bond markets experienced a dramatic and highly volatile quarter. The markets witnessed a strong flight to safety as equities sold off while government bonds benefited. Economic indicators continued to disappoint on the whole, but SEI does not anticipate a global recession. [... More]

  • Sep
    14
    2011

    August 2011 Market Update

    Global equity and bond markets experienced a dramatic and highly volatile August, with investors shying away from risk in favour of defensive assets. In this environment, equities sold off seemingly indiscriminately, while gold and fixed income benefited. Already poor market sentiment was pushed lower by ongoing U.S. debt issues and renewed concerns about the eurozone. [... More]

  • Sep
    1
    2011

    A Wild Ride: Taking a Closer Look at Recent Market Volatility

    Despite the recent volatility, our view of the markets remains intact. Strategically, the global economy appears to have entered a soft patch from which we expect it to emerge without entering recession. For investors, times like these underscore the importance of employing a time horizon that is appropriate to your objectives, implementing an appropriate asset allocation and maintaining a disciplined approach to portfolio rebalancing. [... More]

  • Aug
    18
    2011

    July 2011 Market Update

    Global equity and bond markets experienced a volatile July, with a general flight-to-safety driven by fears that the global economy could be pushed back into recession. Continued problems in the eurozone and ongoing U.S. debt issues along with weak economic data releases fuelled concerns for the month. [... More]

  • Aug
    17
    2011

    A Brief History of Market Turbulence

    Economic and financial crises have been a regular feature of monetary economies throughout history. While no two have been exactly alike, they tend to share some common characteristics. Read about some key lessons that investors can take away from such comparisons. [... More]

  • Aug
    12
    2011

    Investment Update: The Summer of Our Discontent II

    The current problems with the global economy are cause for concern, but not cause for panic. [... More]

  • Jul
    21
    2011

    U.S. Debt Ceiling: The Clock is Ticking

    The need to raise the debt ceiling is dominating the news. Due to the severe consequences of late or no action by Congress, we believe an agreement will be reached by the prescribed deadline. [... More]

  • Jul
    21
    2011

    Commentary: The Case for High Yield

    We believe the recent flows out of high-yield funds are not justified by the credit fundamentals, as indicated above, and that an attractive value proposition has been created for astute investors. This is an asset-class story, not a fund strategy story. [... More]

  • Jul
    20
    2011

    Second Quarter 2011 Market Update

    Investors favoured defensive assets in the equity markets; global bond yields fell in response to growth concerns and eurozone debt fears. Economic indicators generally disappointed, but SEI remains optimistic in the longer-term.
    [... More]

  • May
    20
    2011

    April 2011 Market Update

    Sentiment remains solid despite rising oil prices and inflationary pressures. Investors favor defensive assets in equity and fixed-income markets. SEI’s outlook for global growth remains positive. [... More]

  • Mar
    16
    2011

    Japan: Too Early to Tell

    Japan, the third-largest economy in the world, has endured earthquakes, a tsunami and multiple nuclear reactor failures. The long-term downstream consequences will not be clear for quite some time. Gross domestic product (GDP) will be negatively impacted in the short term, but rebuilding should help economic activity rebound. [... More]

  • Oct
    5
    2010

    Comparing Recessions: U.S. "Great Recession" vs. Japanese "Lost Decade"

    A spate of economic data raised concerns that the U.S. economy is facing a “lost decade” like the one Japan experienced from 1991-2001. While we see similarities, a closer look reveals significant differences which we believe ultimately render them uncomparable. [... More]

  • May
    7
    2010

    An Update on the Greek Sovereign Debt Crisis

    In the past few weeks, concerns about whether or not Greece will default on payments related to its sovereign debt have reached a fever pitch. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged nearly 1,000 points before recovering significantly, ending the day down just over 300 points. [... More]

  • Oct
    27
    2008

    Commentary: Presidential Elections and the Stock Market

    As volatile as the markets and economy have been, investors wonder what a victory for either candidate might mean to them financially. While that is nearly impossible to predict with any sense of certainty, history can tell us a great deal about how the equity markets have reacted post election. [... More]