Beyond Bulls & Bears

Fixed Income

Global Economic Perspective: August
Fixed Income

Global Economic Perspective: August

“We think the ECB is wise to retain some flexibility over the timing of its transition to more conventional monetary policies. The central bank has voiced concerns over the impact of the Turkish crisis on some European lenders. Additionally, volatility can be exaggerated at this time of year.” – Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group

Christopher J. Molumphy, CFA |
Global Economic Perspective: July
Fixed Income

Global Economic Perspective: July

In this month’s Global Economic Perspective, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group examines the potential market impact of ongoing trade issues. Could it derail global growth?

Christopher J. Molumphy, CFA |
Sukuk’s Journey into the Financial Mainstream
Fixed Income

Sukuk’s Journey into the Financial Mainstream

"We consider global sukuk to be a misunderstood asset class. Misconceptions to which sukuk is often subject to include assumptions that sukuk is susceptible to the headline risk associated with oil price volatility, or that it is solely concentrated in a few geographies.” - Dino Kronfol, chief investment officer, Franklin Templeton Global Sukuk and MENA Fixed Income Strategies

Mohieddine (Dino) Kronfol |
Hasenstab: How AMLO and Mexico Can Avoid a Populist Fate
Fixed Income

Hasenstab: How AMLO and Mexico Can Avoid a Populist Fate

“While Mexico’s new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has shown some populist impulses, such as expanding pension benefits or broadly handing out scholarships, his team appears aware of the pitfalls that often await governments that disrupt confidence in their country’s financial markets.” - Michael Hasenstab

Michael Hasenstab, Ph.D. |
Convertible Securities: a Versatile Asset Class
Equity

Convertible Securities: a Versatile Asset Class

“Given the run we’ve seen in the US equity market over the past few years, many investors may be concerned about stock valuations and their equity exposures. In this environment, some investors may want to consider select exposure to convertible securities.” – Alan Muschott, Franklin Equity Group

Alan Muschott, CFA |
Fixed Income ETFs: Democratising Price Discovery for Investors
LibertyShares

Fixed Income ETFs: Democratising Price Discovery for Investors

“The evolution of ETFs, particularly in the fixed income arena, can offer even retail investors access to a market with the same price discovery/transparency as their institutional counterparts.” – Jason Xavier, head of EMEA ETF Capital Markets

Jason Xavier |
Michael Hasenstab: An Update on our Global Markets Resilience Scores
Fixed Income

Michael Hasenstab: An Update on our Global Markets Resilience Scores

Templeton Global Macro makes a compelling case that finding attractive opportunities in emerging markets lies in distinguishing the more resilient countries from the rest. Here, CIO Michael Hasenstab provides an update of the team’s proprietary “Local Markets Resiliency Index” and highlights the scores of seven different countries—Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia and South Africa.

Michael Hasenstab, Ph.D. |
Global Economic Perspective: June
Fixed Income

Global Economic Perspective: June

In this month’s Global Economic Perspective, our Fixed Income Group sees the broad outlook for the global economy as remaining positive but expects more patches of financial market volatility ahead.

Christopher J. Molumphy, CFA |
ECB Meeting: Fresh Clarity, But Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves
Fixed Income

ECB Meeting: Fresh Clarity, But Let’s Not Get Ahead of Ourselves

David Zahn, Franklin Templeton’s head of European Fixed Income, gives his take on the ECB meeting and explains why he’s still not expecting a eurozone interest-rate hike before 2020.

David Zahn, CFA, FRM |
Fed Gives US Interest Rates Another Bump in June
Fixed Income

Fed Gives US Interest Rates Another Bump in June

The US Federal Reserve continued its tightening path at its June policy meeting, raising its benchmark interest rate for the second time this year and seventh time since December 2015. Chris Molumphy, chief investment officer, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, offers us a snapshot of the US monetary policy landscape in the wake of the meeting.

Christopher J. Molumphy, CFA |
ECB Preview: Will Recent Italian Developments Influence Europe’s Tapering Timeline?
Fixed Income

ECB Preview: Will Recent Italian Developments Influence Europe’s Tapering Timeline?

“With eurozone growth data softer recently and inflation also relatively muted, we think it would be premature for the ECB to embark on a tightening cycle.” – David Zahn, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group

David Zahn, CFA, FRM |
Cautious European Fixed Income Investors May be Sacrificing Yield
Fixed Income

Cautious European Fixed Income Investors May be Sacrificing Yield

Our “Fixed Income Investor Attitudes, Concerns and Actions 2018” survey shows European fixed income investors are still a cautious bunch a decade out from the global financial crisis. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group’s David Zahn explores why he thinks it might be time to put fears about market volatility aside.

David Zahn, CFA, FRM |