Managed futures strategies, also known as Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs) or trend-followers, are designed for environments where macro shifts drive persistent price trends across equity, bond, commodity, and currency markets. As geopolitical risk has spiked due to the conflict with Iran, the current backdrop will present a unique test for investment strategies.

Current Positioning

Using the SG Trend Indicator from Societe Generale Prime Services as an industry proxy, the most recent positioning by asset class is below. Note, depending on a manager’s individual contracts traded and portfolio construction process, exp

As with the recent escalation in the Middle East, financial markets are constantly exposed to unpredictable events — from geopolitical conflicts and terror attacks to political transitions, corporate crises, and systemic financial shocks. While each new development tends to generate uncertainty and anxiety, history consistently shows that markets are far more resilient than most investors expect.

Reviewing market reactions across more than eight decades of market history helps us understand how stocks typically behave when the unexpected happens, and which conditions matter most to determine the likely depth and duration of

With February behind us, we conducted a deeper dive into exchange-traded fund (ETF) flows over the month and year-to-date (YTD) periods. Flows measure the net movement of cash into and out of investment vehicles, such as mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETF). We analyzed flows to gain insight on investor demand and sentiment surrounding asset classes, sectors, and other segments of markets.

Broad Asset Class Flows

At the broad asset class level, investors continued to pour into equity ETFs, which now represent 78% (~$11 trillion) of the total ETF market, with February realizing a net flow of $139 billion, putting the

Dividend strategies, a.k.a. equity income strategies, have outperformed to start the year, owing to the value-led cyclical rotation we are seeing in domestic equity markets. Looking beyond current performance, this week, we ask and answer the question “How should I think about dividend stocks or building an equity income portfolio?”

Executive Summary

The idea of lying on the beach while your money works for you is often idealized in the financial media and by financial professionals alike. And why not? Investors love passive income, whether it comes from interest payments via fixed income securities, rental inco