by Marshall Schield | Dec 7, 2016 | How I See It
Pollsters are having a really bad year. First, they made a terribly wrong call on the Brexit vote, followed by another on the U.S. presidential race. We can add a number of prominent strategists to that same crowd. Experts from Citicorp to Goldman Sachs...
by K.D. Angle | Nov 30, 2016 | UpClose
Why managed futures—an often misunderstood tactical tool—can play an important role in portfolio construction, either as a stand-alone strategy or as a key strategic element. During my three decades of experience in using managed futures in active...
by Ian Naismith | Nov 30, 2016 | How I See It
I developed a seasonal model some time ago that I use sparingly in conjunction with a number of other macro indicators. However, there are some historical pockets of strength in different ETFs that cannot be ignored. The impact of long-term seasonal...
by Thomas Krawinkel | Nov 16, 2016 | UpClose
One major point of criticism of a buy-and-hold strategy is its inability to react to potential and real downturns in the markets. Active management, on the other hand, truly shines in this area. Many active strategies manage risk—in fact, they were...
by Jerry Wagner | Nov 9, 2016 | UpClose
Can lessons learned from our canine friends provide a better understanding of the characteristics of effective portfolio diversification? My wife and I have always been dog people. We’ve never owned cats, although we love to play with those of friends...
by Rob Hanna | Nov 2, 2016 | How I See It
There are many different tools traders can use to delineate market action for purposes of forecasting. Many technicians rely heavily on price action. But by incorporating other pieces of information they have a chance to greatly improve their...
by Herb Friedman | Nov 2, 2016 | UpClose
Is it possible to conquer the “low risk/good returns” challenge with active strategies? High-yield bonds may offer an attractive risk-managed opportunity. When I joined the financial-services industry in 1994, I tried to determine what it was that my...
by Dave Landry | Oct 26, 2016 | How I See It
Technical analysis doesn’t concern itself with what should be. Its only concern is what is. The economy might be great, and a stock might have excellent fundamentals, but if the stock is trending lower, then there’s obviously more supply...
by Dave Walton | Oct 26, 2016 | UpClose
Realistically estimating strategy performance through stochastic models. Money managers have a tough job. They need to raise capital, build and maintain client relationships, keep in compliance of regulations, and then actually manage investments. All...
by David Wismer | Oct 19, 2016 | UpClose
Understanding the important differences between absolute return, total return, and relative return. The financial media has spent quite a bit of time during the current bull market reporting on the “underperformance” of actively managed funds. While the...
by John Kosar | Oct 12, 2016 | UpClose
Investor sentiment metrics provide valuable insights on what the “investment crowd” is thinking, often helping to identify important market tops and bottoms. As an analyst with 35 years of experience who makes a living by forecasting the future...
by Martha Stokes | Oct 12, 2016 | How I See It
Fundamental analysis is the foundation of stock investing and continues to be the number one source of data for selecting stocks by giant institutions, market professionals, managers of small funds, and retail investors. However, the quality of...
by Linda Ferentchak | Oct 5, 2016 | UpClose
Index investing is not necessarily buy-and-hold investing. Components and weightings of the S&P 500 are constantly in motion in response to market and business cycles. The rise of index investing is typically based on the belief that no one is able...
by Peter Mauthe | Oct 5, 2016 | How I See It
When analysts look at investment markets, they frequently look for confirmations from other markets and other indicators to gain confidence in their conclusions. One of the indicators I have found to be useful is an indicator kept by Tom McClellan,...
by John Reese | Sep 21, 2016 | How I See It
Over the last seven years, the market has had a steady diet of ultra-low interest rates and, while the general expectation is that the Fed will raise rates in the coming months, the size and spacing of such increases are the subject of much speculation....
by Flexible Plan Investments, Ltd | Sep 21, 2016 | UpClose
Is it possible to “do good” and “do well” with a socially responsible investing (SRI) strategy? Empirical evidence suggests that funds using quantitative analysis of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors can produce very competitive...
by Marshall Schield | Sep 14, 2016 | How I See It
Ultra funds (leveraged funds) get an undeserved bad rap, causing many investors to miss the great investment opportunities they can provide. Investors are warned not to hold an ultra fund for longer than one day. In my opinion, this is really bad...
by Pension Partners LLC | Sep 14, 2016 | UpClose
‘False precision’ explored: There is never certainty in terms of market or strategy outcomes, only probabilities and managing risk—and whether you have the emotional fortitude to stick with a plan and process over time. Editor’s note: Michael...
by Tony Dwyer | Sep 7, 2016 | How I See It
Editor’s Notes: Tony Dwyer, U.S. portfolio strategist for Canaccord Genuity, and his colleagues author a widely respected monthly overview of market conditions, technical factors, and future outlook called the “Strategy Picture Book.” The...
by Ian Naismith | Aug 24, 2016 | How I See It
In my last article for Proactive Advisor in May 2016, I gave a prescription for a possible cure for the summertime blues, which traditionally occurs in the months of June through August. You can revisit that article for more about the strategy for that...
by Dennis Yamasaki | Aug 24, 2016 | UpClose
Lessons from behavioral economics and fractal mathematics theory can help explain why tactical investment strategies can be beneficial in portfolio construction. Editor’s note: Dennis Yamasaki has an extensive educational background in quantitative...
