Beyond Bulls & Bears

On My Mind: Fed Chair Powell—I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…
Fixed Income

On My Mind: Fed Chair Powell—I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…

Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai believes that the Fed's March policy meeting was not as dovish as some commentators and market participants have claimed, and that the Fed is still pragmatic and cautious about inflation and rate cuts. In her view, getting inflation down to 2% will be harder and take longer than Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell expects, and she predicts that rate cuts will come only later—in the second half of the year.

Quick Thoughts: The Fed—Steady as she goes
Perspectives

Quick Thoughts: The Fed—Steady as she goes

Thoughts on the US monetary policy path ahead from Franklin Templeton Institute’s Stephen Dover and Rick Polsinello.

Alternative Allocations: Private equity—Secondaries anyone?
Alternatives

Alternative Allocations: Private equity—Secondaries anyone?

In recent years, private equity fundraising surged, yet exits slowed drastically in 2022, prompting institutional investors to rebalance portfolios through increased secondaries activity. Franklin Templeton Institute’s Senior Strategist Tony Davidow explains.

Flash Insights: Bank of Japan—A “watchful” adjustment
Fixed Income

Flash Insights: Bank of Japan—A “watchful” adjustment

The Bank of Japan (BoJ) raised interest rates for the first time since 2007 and has eliminated the yield curve control framework. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Economist Rini Sen expects the bulk of further tightening will likely come in 2025 as the BoJ seeks to reach a sustainable 2% inflation target by end of fiscal year 2025.

A vote for value stocks in 2024
Equity

A vote for value stocks in 2024

At Mutual Series, we do not believe the packed and contentious 2024 global election season will upend the major long-term trends around supply-chain links, energy security and defense—all of which can further support certain value stocks.

Flash Insights: Food for Thought—February CPI continues to prove stubborn
Fixed Income

Flash Insights: Food for Thought—February CPI continues to prove stubborn

Stubborn core and supercore inflation will mean that the Fed will want some more evidence that their preferred measures of inflation are moving sustainably lower according to Nikhil Mohan, Franklin Fixed Income economist. Read our latest views.

Challenges and opportunities within commercial real estate
Alternatives

Challenges and opportunities within commercial real estate

Franklin Templeton’s Tony Davidow discusses the challenges and opportunities within commercial real estate with Jeb Belford of Clarion Partners.

PODCAST Anatomy of a Recession update: Soft landing chances rise
Equity

PODCAST Anatomy of a Recession update: Soft landing chances rise

In the latest release of the ClearBridge Recession Risk Dashboard, we’ve seen that a particular indicator upgrade was enough to change the overall dashboard—going from red recession to yellow caution—the first time that it’s been yellow since August of 2022. We speak with Jeff Schulze of ClearBridge Investments about this change and his current base case for the US economy.

Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Macro Views: Just a little patience
Fixed Income

Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Macro Views: Just a little patience

Franklin Templeton Fixed Income economists are seeing evidence of sticky inflation across the Group of Three (G3) nations. While central banks in the United States and eurozone are gauging when to embark on monetary easing, the Bank of Japan will likely hike in April. All three will continue to monitor wages (and their impact on services inflation) and the balance of risks to economic growth.

Income opportunities in an evolving investment landscape
Multi-Asset

Income opportunities in an evolving investment landscape

The investment landscape continues to evolve as the Federal Reserve responds to economic data. Ed Perks, Chief Investment Officer of Franklin Income Investors, explores the impact of these changes on the fixed income and equity markets and offers insights regarding opportunities in different asset classes.

Revitalized Japanese stock market fuels investor optimism
ETFs

Revitalized Japanese stock market fuels investor optimism

Promising signs of growth and reform in Japan are instilling investors with renewed optimism, revitalizing the country’s stock market. Dina Ting, Head of Global Index Portfolio Management for Franklin Templeton Exchange-Traded Funds, delves into these developments and sheds light on Japan’s expanding economic prospects.

AI-powered metaverse applications propelled tech stocks in 2023
ETFs

AI-powered metaverse applications propelled tech stocks in 2023

The metaverse's integration with another transformative technology, AI, boosted the performance of tech stocks in 2023. Marcus Weyerer, Senior ETF Investment Strategist, EMEA, for Franklin Templeton ETFs, delves into the industrial and consumer applications of the metaverse, the role of AI in enhancing these experiences, and the significant growth potential and investment opportunities this virtual world holds.