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☆ Two experts break down potential market opportunities in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailTwo experts break down potential market opportunities in 2023Rebecca Felton, senior market strategist at Riverfront Investment Group, and Ann Berry, Threadneedle Ventures founder, join CNBC's 'Squawk Box' to break down their market outlooks ahead of the new year.

☆ 4 hurdles Walmart needs to clear in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Analysts expect the retailer to work through excess inventory in 2023, but obstacles may arise. Here are four major Walmart challenges to watch in 2023. Expanding clinic presence is a 'must' to create major healthcare gainsA Walmart Health clinic. In 2022, Walmart saw competitors like Amazon make major healthcare splashes. Part of expansion has been announced for 2023, as Walmart plans to launch 16 more clinics in Florida by the end of the year.

☆ Here's how to time your purchases of high-dividend stocks to get the best possible income and stay afloat, according to an Invesco CIO and portfolio manager
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Marley Jay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Pete Santoro is a fund manager and investment chief at Invesco who focuses on dividend stocks. His brief includes a management slot in the firm's Dividend Income Fund, which went through a real turnaround not long after he joined. "I think investors are rediscovering the financial benefits of dividend-paying stocks in a market that is favoring income over riskier growth companies," Santoro told Insider in a recent interview. Dividend investing strategy in a volatile marketSantoro, like many dividend-focused experts, says it's not enough to buy shares of companies that pay high-percentage dividends. "We believe investors should focus on quality companies with growing free cash flows, growing dividends, and capital discipline," he said.

LONDON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The Bank of England looks like it's being outed as the weakest link. The primary reason was that two of the nine-person MPC voted to end the Bank's rate rise campaign right away as the recession the Bank thinks is already underway will get entrenched next year. But with the median economist forecast for the Bank's terminal rate somewhere around 4.25%, markets still seem aggressively positioned for a hawkish surprise and the pound may be more vulnerable to that revision as the winter progresses. Significantly, the implied Fed terminal rate edged higher to 4.9% after its policy setpiece on Wednesday - even if is still below the 5.1% the Fed indicated. Reuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsReuters GraphicsReuters Graphics Reuters GraphicsThe opinions expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.

The fed funds rate currently stands in the 4.25%-4.50% range. Plenty of investors believe the Fed will stick to its guns, even if the economy wobbles. The Fed's economic projections showed rates dropping to 4.1% in 2024, higher than estimated three months ago. She is expecting the gyrations that rocked bonds this year to continue, driven in part by investors second-guessing the Fed's commitment to keeping monetary policy tight. "We have a generation of traders that has never seen the Fed not bail it out when push comes to shove."

☆ Expect Asian currencies to outperform as central banks remain hawkish, says analyst
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailExpect Asian currencies to outperform as central banks remain hawkish, says analystLeong Lin Jing of Columbia Threadneedle Investments says Asian central banks are likely to keep hiking interest rates even if the U.S. Federal Reserve stops doing so.

☆ Investor group launches campaign to help companies protect nature
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Expert Analysis | Reuters Professional | Calls Grow For Companies To Disclose Impacts On Nature In Bid To Plug Finance Gap | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Luis EcheverriaMONTREAL, Dec 11 (Reuters) - Here's the plan: Select 100 companies whose business burdens nature. Such is the vision of a campaign called "Nature Action 100" launched on Sunday by 11 investment firms hoping to encourage companies to help preserve ecosystems that support more than half the world's economic output. "The aim of Nature Action 100 is to engage those companies that have the highest impact on nature, not only to protect the natural environment but also to mitigate the risks these companies face from mounting pressure to effectively address biodiversity issues," Wearmouth said in a statement. The list of 100 companies will be published next year. Nature Action 100 would seek to select 100 companies for investors to focus on in suggesting how the private sector can navigate any new rules and monitoring their progress, the group said.

An index tracking high-yield dollar bonds of Chinese developers (.IBXXAX13) has jumped more than 70% from its Nov. 3 low, but is still down about 70% from its peak in May, 2021. A growing list of Chinese developers have entered into or are preparing to kick-off debt restructuring talks with offshore bondholders after defaulting on payments. Of 241 dollar-denominated bonds issued by Chinese property firms, 211 are trading in distressed territory below 50 cents on the dollar, Refinitiv data shows. The recent rally in developers' shares and bonds on the back of funding support measures, however, has given investors some respite. "A recovery in property sales would be firmer in a re-opening scenario," said Justin Ong of Columbia Threadneedle, which holds China property bonds, as it would offer a clearer timeline for re-opening.

☆ Walmart saw a big dip in customers shopping at its stores on Black Friday this year, study finds. Instead, they may have been flocking to the retailer's website.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Ben Tobin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Walmart saw an estimated 5.3% decline year-over-year for in-store traffic, according to Placer.ai. Nonetheless, Walmart got more search traffic than its rivals from people looking online for Black Friday deals. Walmart saw a 5.3% dip in physical store traffic this Black Friday compared to last, according to estimates from Placer.ai, a location data company. Walmart saw searches for Black Friday discounts spike by 386% year-over-year, per the company. "But I would say overall the high-level reports I've seen have been positive for Walmart on Black Friday across (product) categories."

☆ The economy will see weakening in consumer sentiment before year end, says Threadneedle's Ann Berry
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailThe economy will see weakening in consumer sentiment before year end, says Threadneedle's Ann BerryAnn Berry, Threadneedle Ventures founder, joins the 'Halftime Report' to discuss the road ahead for the markets.

☆ One central bank drama after another
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Nov 3 (Reuters) - A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Wayne Cole. Ironically, the more bonds price in a pivot, the less inclined the Fed will be to give them one. The Monetary Policy Report is out at noon (1200 GMT), followed by a news conference half an hour later streamed live on the Bank of England's website. Markets are priced for a hike of 75 bps to 3.0%, which amazingly would be the highest since 2008. In any event, the BoE is going to have to revise up its CPI forecasts and slash those for GDP, which will make for gloomy viewing compared to the comedy show that is government policy right now.

☆ Fed rhetoric is fueling market volatility, says Columbia Threadneedle Investments' Ernesto Ramos
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailFed rhetoric is fueling market volatility, says Columbia Threadneedle Investments' Ernesto RamosColumbia Threadneedle Investments Head of Integrated Equity, Ernesto Ramos, joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss the market lag from Fed rate hikes, and stressors contributing to pressure market performance.

☆ UK cliff edge arrives as Bank of England prepares to end its emergency bond buying
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Bank's Financial Stability Committee on Sep. 28 announced a two-week emergency purchase program for long-dated U.K. government bonds. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesLONDON — The Bank of England's emergency bond-buying program draws to a close on Friday, with traders remaining on edge as volatility in the U.K. bond market looks set to continue. The central bank initially announced the two-week intervention in the long-dated bond market on Sep. 28, having been informed that a number of liability driven investment (LDI) funds — held by pension plans — were hours from collapse as U.K. government bond prices plunged. The BOE's Pill also highlighted that recent actions taken to ensure orderly market function and financial stability sought to preserve the effectiveness of monetary policy, but should not be considered monetary policy actions in themselves. Chris Lupoli, U.K. rates and inflation strategist at BNP Paribas , told CNBC Thursday that the Bank of England remained focused on the temporary purchases serving as a "backstop."

☆ Central banks get sucked into financial black hole
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Edward Chancellor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Central bankers around the world want to bring inflation down by returning interest rates to “normal” levels. As a result, the average UK mortgage has grown to 3.4 times average income, up from 1.5 times in the early 1980s, according to housing analyst Neal Hudson. But it’s left many homeowners extremely vulnerable to higher interest rates. As a result, the government’s fiscal position is more exposed to interest rate fluctuations. As a financial black hole opens up, central banks will be forced to stop tightening.

☆ UK pensions sector must move quickly as BoE deadline looms - regulator
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 12 (Reuters) - UK pension fund trustees should step up engagement with investment managers to quantify funding gaps and risks prior to the end of the Bank of England's (BoE) emergency bond-buying scheme on Oct. 14, The Pensions Regulator said on Wednesday. The regulator has also encouraged schemes to consider appointing professional trustees and to discuss whether employers are able to provide cash to help plug any liquidity shortfall, it said in a guidance statement for pension fund trustees and advisers. The BoE has had to step in to stabilise markets. In a sign of the spillover of the stress to other asset classes, Columbia Threadneedle said late on Tuesday it had suspended a property fund aimed at retail investors. read more($1 = 0.9118 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Sinead Cruise and Carolyn Cohn Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

While estimates of how much pension funds need to sell vary they are in the hundreds of billions of pounds, and it is not known how much funds have already raised in cash. Tuesday's BoE intervention was targeted at buying index-linked bonds, a far smaller market than gilts, dominated by pension funds and which suffered another significant selloff this week. He estimates pension funds could sell assets totalling around 300 billion pounds as they adjust hedging positions, although it is not clear how much they may have sold already. He estimated 100 billion pounds could come from gilts and the rest from assets such as global credit, global equities and asset-backed securities. "The bottom line is a lot of schemes need to rebalance their portfolios," he said.

☆ The lead portfolio manager of a $36 billion fund shares the investing process that's helped him outperform 94% of competitors in the past 15 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( James Faris | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Columbia Dividend Income Fund has topped 94% of competing funds in the past 15 years. Focus on dividend stocks with two specific qualities instead of prioritizing high yields, he said. Mike Barclay is a lead portfolio manager of the $36 billion Columbia Dividend Income Fund (GSFTX), a fund that has beaten 94% of peers in the past 15 years, according to Morningstar. How to profit from dividend investingThe philosophy behind Columbia Threadneedle Investments' high-performing dividend fund has been in place since 2004, Barclay said. Columbia Threadneedle InvestmentsBesides free cash flow, Barclay said he prioritizes firms with robust balance sheets as a way to manage risk.

☆ Pension fund blowup faces brutal second act
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-06 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Bank of England announced a 65 billion pound gilt-buying scheme to stabilise markets and rescue pension funds. Bailey’s move may have been too late to stop some pension funds from having to close out their hedges, like interest rate swaps or futures. The rate at which retirement payments are discounted will also fall, pushing up the pension fund’s future liabilities, but without a corresponding asset gain. Meanwhile, investors like Goldman Sachs are hoovering up cut-price stakes in private equity vehicles, which LDI funds are selling. They also held 78 billion pounds and 317 billion pounds in property and equities respectively.

☆ Explainer: Why are Britain's pension schemes dumping gilts?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WHAT ARE DEFINED BENEFIT PENSION SCHEMES? Defined benefit (DB) pension schemes pay pensioners a fixed annual amount, often a proportion of the final salary they earned as employees. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe pension schemes invest typically more than half of their assets in bonds, in order to pay pension liabilities decades into the future. To avoid being exposed to market volatility, the schemes typically hedge their positions through gilt derivatives managed by so-called liability-driven investment (LDI) funds. LDI funds also sold index-linked gilts to shore up the cash in their funds.

Francois Savary, chief investment officer at Prime Partners SA, a Swiss wealth manager with around $4.1 billion of assets, says it is difficult for investors to avoid China exposure. Indus Capital Partners, a New York-based investment manager, started to reduce exposure in China in pan-Asian funds in 2021, but has since returned. Greater China exposure in its $1.37 billion long-only fund, Indus Select, has increased modestly. Some fund managers think Xi wants to quickly get back to the business of supporting the economy. "Investors are just in this 'wait and see' mode to get more clarity that stronger growth can be achieved," said St Clair.

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