Beyond Bulls & Bears

An opportunity for REITs to shine in 2024
Equity

An opportunity for REITs to shine in 2024

The REIT sector has faced many challenges over the past few years, including COVID-related closures and tightening monetary policy. Franklin Equity Group Portfolio Managers Blair Schmicker and Daniel Scher discuss how a return to pre-pandemic monetary policy could mean a promising 2024 for publicly traded real estate.

US equity outlook: Opportunities for active management
Equity

US equity outlook: Opportunities for active management

If 2023 was the year of the “Magnificent Seven,” 2024 may be a year where small-, mid- and large-cap companies will take the spotlight, according to Franklin Equity Group.

REITs: Providing visibility in an age of uncertainty
Equity

REITs: Providing visibility in an age of uncertainty

Franklin Equity Group portfolio managers Daniel Scher and Blair Schmicker make the case that REITs are more than just a “collection of assets,” as they were once viewed, and instead offer exposure to quality business models and professional management teams with long track records of value creation.

Public and private avenues: How Franklin Equity Group sees digital transformation
Equity

Public and private avenues: How Franklin Equity Group sees digital transformation

Franklin Equity Group has a long history of researching and investing in public and private companies across the technology space. In this article, Portfolio Managers Jonathan Curtis and Ryan Biggs share their insights on where they see opportunities in digital transformation and how they are thinking about the relative attractiveness of public and private company investment opportunities.

Cautiously optimistic on commodities
Equity

Cautiously optimistic on commodities

While caution in some areas of the commodities space may be prudent, there are also reasons for optimism, according to Fred Fromm, portfolio manager, Franklin Equity Group. He offers his mid-year outlook and potential investment opportunities.

Technology advancements driving opportunities in health care
Equity

Technology advancements driving opportunities in health care

Health care’s innovation-driven growth and inherent resilience makes it a natural fit for dividend growth investors, according to Franklin Equity Group.

REITs: Ever changing, ever valuable
Equity

REITs: Ever changing, ever valuable

Until recently, office buildings were the pinnacle of commercial real estate—skyscrapers stretched perception and awed as symbols of prestige and value. Malls were the buttressed center of communities, where young people reliably gathered to hang out at the video arcade and their families would do what Americans do best: consume. What happens when behaviors change? Franklin Equity Group Portfolio Managers Blair Schmicker and Daniel Scher reflect on the ever-evolving landscape of commercial real estate, and the answer to that question might surprise you.

Age of AI
Equity

Age of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a key pillar of the digital transformation theme, which is driving significant disruption and spurring new growth. Grant Bowers, portfolio manager with Franklin Equity Group, offers a unique perspective of the challenges and benefits of this evolving and disruptive technology.

Meet the Manager: Ryan Biggs
Perspectives

Meet the Manager: Ryan Biggs

Winning an award for stock-picking in elementary school, Ryan Biggs has extended his wins with a recent recognition from the Business Insider as one of the venture capital industry’s rising stars in 2022. He has also established a “scout program” to help young people get a head start in their careers just like he had received from his mentors. Get to know more about Ryan’s background as well as trends he’s excited about.

PODCAST: Investing in innovation–impacts of market volatility and shocks
Equity

PODCAST: Investing in innovation–impacts of market volatility and shocks

Franklin Equity Group’s Renee Anderson and Matt Moberg cover investing in innovation during market volatility. We hear how business fundamentals and valuations look right now. Plus, from electric vehicles and renewable energy, to the metaverse, blockchain and more—a breakdown of which innovation themes have the most upside and challenges.

US equities: Opportunities amid turbulence
Equity

US equities: Opportunities amid turbulence

Franklin Equity Group Portfolio Manager Grant Bowers shares his outlook on inflation and recessionary risks and where he’s finding opportunities in US equities amid recent market volatility.

Technology Investing: Volatility, Valuations and Opportunity
Equity

Technology Investing: Volatility, Valuations and Opportunity

Despite increased volatility due to the Russia-Ukraine war and rising interest rates, Franklin Equity Group’s Jonathan Curtis sees compelling opportunities within high-quality technology companies in an increasingly digital world.