August 7, 2018— Now that the S&P 500 earnings calendar has seen the second quarter come and go, most companies have reported results that reflect another stellar earnings season. More companies—over 80%—beat earnings in the second quarter than during any point since the mid ‘90s, when data started being tracked. On average, earnings beat analysts’ estimates by about 5%.
August 3, 2018—There doesn’t seem to be a day where trade and tariffs are not at the top of your news—or Twitter— feed. Some tariffs have already been implemented, but the proposed list appears to be growing. Here is an overview of what has been implemented and proposed at this point.
First major trade action of 2018…
On January 22, the U.S. announced tariffs on all imported solar panels and washing machines. The tariffs were in response to petitions from U.S.
July 27, 2018—Emerging markets (EM) assets have had a rough go of it this year, to say the least. EM equities are down 13%[1] from their January highs, and currencies have been similarly challenged. The combination of a tightening Fed, a stronger dollar, trade tensions, and slowing global growth have compounded with country-specific concerns to weigh on EM assets.
We have held an overweight to EM equities since November 2016, which has been a drag on performance this year.
