Beyond Bulls & Bears

Quick Thoughts: Investment Ideas—Is the Muni Comeback Still in the Making?
Fixed Income

Quick Thoughts: Investment Ideas—Is the Muni Comeback Still in the Making?

Making the case for municipal bonds today with Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute.

What’s next for gilts and the United Kingdom?
Fixed Income

What’s next for gilts and the United Kingdom?

Gilt prices have been struggling this past year due to surging inflation and interest-rate increases. David Zahn, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s Head of European Fixed Income, shares his outlook for the UK economy and why he thinks now is a good time to consider investing in gilts.

Stress testing the foundations: Analyzing the vulnerability of US banks to falling commercial real estate values
Fixed Income

Stress testing the foundations: Analyzing the vulnerability of US banks to falling commercial real estate values

The commercial real estate sector’s continued challenges could potentially impact US banks. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s Shawn Lyons discusses the ongoing commercial real estate crisis and how US banks are safeguarding themselves against these issues.

On My Mind: Restrictive? We’ll know it when we see it.
Fixed Income

On My Mind: Restrictive? We’ll know it when we see it.

The Fed sent a strong signal that interest rates will remain higher for longer, as our Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai has long predicted. The Fed also started to acknowledge that the natural real rate of interest is higher than it thought. She shares her latest insights on the policy outlook and the implications for investors.

Opportunity in investment-grade credit
Fixed Income

Opportunity in investment-grade credit

Investment-grade credit is currently offering impressive yields, with relatively less risk than other fixed income sectors, according to Josh Lohmeier of Franklin Templeton Fixed Income. He makes a case for investing in the space today.

Weathering the storm: Exploring climate change adaptation and the investor’s imperative
Fixed Income

Weathering the storm: Exploring climate change adaptation and the investor’s imperative

The Franklin Templeton Fixed Income team believe that issuers that think critically about the environment in which they operate could outperform throughout the full market cycle compared with those who are slower to adapt.

Crisis in concrete: Navigating the ripple effects of commercial real estate on municipal bonds
Fixed Income

Crisis in concrete: Navigating the ripple effects of commercial real estate on municipal bonds

Declining commercial real estate valuations will not likely lead to a wave of defaults among muni issuers, according to Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s municipal bond team.

On My Mind: The structural shift that wasn’t
Fixed Income

On My Mind: The structural shift that wasn’t

Markets seem to be coming around to our Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai’s view that the Fed will have to keep interest rates higher for longer, but now runaway fiscal deficits pose further upside risk to yields in the long term, she warns. She shares her latest insights on the fiscal and monetary outlook and the implications for investors.

Navigating inflationary seas—a study of central banks in the United States, Europe and Asia
Fixed Income

Navigating inflationary seas—a study of central banks in the United States, Europe and Asia

With inflation still front and center and tight labor markets, how will central banks react to the challenging market environment? Join the Franklin Templeton Fixed Income (FTFI) economists as they discuss their views on central banks’ strategies and formalized policies in the latest installment of the FTFI Fifteen—a video series designed to cover relative market topics in about 15 minutes.

Promoting a greener future: The power of sustainable investing
Fixed Income

Promoting a greener future: The power of sustainable investing

Why should investors care about sustainable investing? Franklin Templeton Fixed Income’s Head of Sustainable Investments David Zahn and Senior Sustainability Manager Kasper Hanus weigh in on how FTFI thinks responsible investing and investment returns aren’t mutually exclusive goals.

Quick Thoughts: Positioning for a timely opportunity in munis
Fixed Income

Quick Thoughts: Positioning for a timely opportunity in munis

As markets continue to respond to an uncertain macroeconomic environment, the current fundamentals in the municipal bond market are creating an investment opportunity to capture strong after-tax total returns according to Stephen Dover, Head of Franklin Templeton Institute.

Tumultuous times: Understanding the macroeconomic landscape
Fixed Income

Tumultuous times: Understanding the macroeconomic landscape

Fixed income sectors that eliminate credit risk seem to be pricing in a recession while sectors willing to take credit risk seem to be much more optimistic. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai and Portfolio Manager Rick Klein tell us what they think these diverging views imply.