Temporary bouts of inflation have arisen in the last two decades, prompting questions that result in lengthy webinars and white papers on the matter as those bouts materialize. On the surface, concerns about inflation appear valid. After all, the notion that higher inflation leads to higher borrowing costs, therefore increasing cap rates and applying downward pressure on valuations, is a simple concept to latch onto and cause worry. In addition, the massive injections of liquidity that governments and central banks have deposited into the global economy over the past dozen years add support for concerns of runaway inflation. 

When it comes to corporate relocations, Texas is hot, and we are not talking about the temperature or humidity. Companies from around the country are taking a hard look at moving to the Lone Star State.

Balance can be a challenging ordeal, especially when you are organizing and determining the correct allocation of real estate in a portfolio. Many pension funds will allocate around 15% for real estate investments; these are often core real estate investments that are income producing, high quality assets. By definition, these are often associated with primary markets.

COVID-19 has increased inequality and aggravated social problems across emerging market economies, fueling populist pressures—but several emerging countries share features that make them particularly vulnerable. Assessing key environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics can help identify potential pressure points.

Crisis can be fertile ground for populism. The unique characteristics of COVID-19 may have stifled unrest initially, but the pandemic has exacerbated inequality and poverty, which could fuel public discontent, impacting political and policy paths. It has also given a double edge to the youthful nature of many emerging countries. A young demographic profile is normally a positive for economic growth but could pose challenges if the pandemic curtails business activity and permanently increases unemployment.

Political and policy shifts are arguably more likely in countries where socioeconomic conditions are more fragile and where COVID-19 scarring is deeper. But the resulting pressure for change could lead to contagion, pushing politicians across emerging markets to pursue populist policies, delay fiscal consolidation, and/or erode democratic standards.

Fed watching is once again one of the markets’ favorite pastimes. Federal Reserve officials continue to signal that they would favor tapering of bond purchases in 2021, in line with recent announcements from the European Central Bank. When and how remain to be seen. With ample speculation about the Fed, unemployment, and inflation, it might be a good time for a reminder about what Fed announcements can, and cannot, tell us about the future of fixed income markets.

The global health pandemic and economic shutdown present unparalleled challenges to the global economy. The consequences of the financial collapse were far-reaching, exposing vulnerabilities of supply chains throughout the global economy.  Recently, the disruptions at the Suez and Panama Canals created global port congestion, a shortage of shipping containers and rising costs of goods. As a result, we anticipate manufacturers will hold more inventory on or near their facilities, increase domestic production and reduce reliance on global supply chains moving forward. We believe this will result in increased demand in the U.S. for logistics real estate in addition to secular shifts like the continued growth of online retailing. “Disruptions can be a negative for companies who are unprepared to adapt to supply chain challenges, or an opportunity to differentiate if a company can secure goods when consumers need it most,” indicated Melinda McLaughlin of Prologis. “In general, most Prologis customers view these disruptions negatively due to lost sales, increased difficulty of planning and volatile prices.”

Demand drivers stemming from electric vehicles (EVs) and their infrastructure could impact the utilization of several metals and the countries from which they are sourced—many of them emerging markets (EMs). Specifically, the push toward EVs and their infrastructure supports the demand for a number of metals we call commodities of the future—lithium, nickel, aluminum, and copper. 

HOUSTON and NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Houston Firefighters' Relief and Retirement Fund (HFRRF), the pension fund for the City of Houston's firefighters, today announced that it had purchased bitcoin and ether for the defined benefit plan's portfolio. This investment marks the first announced investment in digital assets by a public pension plan in the U.S. and was facilitated exclusively by NYDIG, a leading bitcoin company.

Question: What is a digital currency actually backed with as there are no assets within a digital currency? 

Answer: Cryptoassets are—to quote a recent Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS’) consultative document on the topic—“private digital assets that depend primarily on cryptography and distributed ledger or similar technology.” So the world’s central bankers agree they are assets. 

The issue of funding an increasing pension liability is a lingering concern for many trustees and state officials. As employee contribution rates continue to increase, discount rates are declining, and municipal contributions are under pressure due to competing priorities, many plans struggle to properly manage and continue to provide benefits to employees.

Much ink has been spilled, much breath expended, and many hands have been wrung over the last decade on the lack of diversity in corporate boardrooms. That chorus only intensified over the last year as protests over racial inequity poured out into the streets of cities across the country.

Recent economic reports have prompted fears that prices in the U.S. are about to take off. Concerns that pandemic-related supply bottlenecks, combined with increased consumer demand due to unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus, would lead to an undesirable jump in inflation seem to be, at least preliminarily, materializing. While increasing costs have been widespread, the greatest opportunity for sustained price increases lies in the labor market and the possibility of a wage-price spiral.

• In this report we examine the impact of low rates on banks and what can they do about it. We also plan to follow up this publication with examining impact of low rates on insurance and asset management.

• Although institutional investors’ allocation to publicly traded investment grade (IG) bonds is essential for liquidity and stability, yields today are historically low. The typical corporate pension fund, for example, with a fixed income allocation of close to 50%¹ and long-term performance goals averaging 6.5%,¹ faces a wide return gap to be filled.²

Although the Fed looks likely to tighten policy sooner than previously expected, the 2013 “taper tantrum” should be avoided. But tapering will still have a variety of implications for emerging markets.