monday-morning-briefing

Monday morning briefing – February 11, 2019

A look at long/short equity hedge funds during the fourth quarter of 2018. Preparing your employees for the age of digital disruption. The impact of regulation on fintech. Will we see a shift back to active management? And much more in this week’s briefing.

Economic/industry news

International Economic Data Snapshot – includes aggregated data of the worldwide economy: Snapshot: International economic data

The Canadian unemployment rate rose to 5.8% in January: Canadian job market surges on record private-sector hiring

European GDP expanded 0.2% in the fourth quarter: EU’s GDP growth rate slows down to 1.5 pct in Q4 2018

BoE holds its Bank Rate steady at 0.75%: Bank of England leaves policy rate unchanged at 0.75% as expected

The RBI cut its benchmark interest rate: Five key takeaways from India’s new central banker’s maiden policy review

Global net flows into investment funds were $606 billion in 2018: Global fund flows had worst year since 2011: Morningstar

Here are some ESG trends for 2019: Emerging MSCI ESG trends to watch in 2019

The three categories of ESG investments: 3 ESG investment strategies: passive, integrated and active

The green bond market is set to grow in 2019: Global “green bond” issuance set to surge in 2019

Clients showing more interest in sustainable investing: How sustainability is becoming an industry focus

Will we see a shift back to active management?: Is the index bubble about to burst?

Some wealth management trends for 2019 that you need to know: 10 wealth management trends in 2019: Aite

Operating margins falling despite higher assets: Asset growth no longer equals fatter profits for fund managers

News and notes (U.S.)

Bill Gross announces his retirement: Bill Gross retires after storied four-decade career in bonds

Hedge funds with a poor December rebounded in January: December’s strugglers bounced back in January, says Lyxor

A look at long/short equity hedge funds during the fourth quarter of 2018: Fourth quarter 2018 review of the long/short equity hedge fund space

Carlyle Group had a sharp increase in pre-tax distributable earnings: Carlyle outperforms rivals in latest earnings report

U.S. retail investors out of the stock market: Mom and pop sit out rally, with stock exposure at 6-year low

Fidelity launches two model portfolios that will use ETFs: Fidelity debuts its first Model Portfolios that employ ETFs

Ark launches the ARK Fintech Innovation ETF: ARK rolls out fintech ETF

Institutional plans in the U.S. struggled in 2018: ‘Worst calendar year performance’ for U.S. institutional plans since 2008: report

Looking to improve U.S. retirement savings: Rep. Kind to reintroduce Retirement Savings Act

BB&T to purchase SunTrust Banks: BB&T to buy SunTrust in biggest bank merger in a decade

News and notes (Canada)

Canadian ETF assets fell 3.9% in the fourth quarter: Q4 asset drop couldn’t stop Canadian ETF boom

The S&P/TSX Composite Index could be a strong relative performer in 2019: It’s time to stop ignoring the TSX

Institutional portfolios benefited from the strong performance of Canadian real estate in 2018: Canadian real estate boosted institutional portfolios in 2018

Know Your Client shouldn’t be the same for all clients: MFDA warns against one-size-fits-all approach to KYC

IGM Financial invests more money into fintech firm: Personal Capital raises $50 million in new funding

Vanguard adds two more asset allocation portfolios to its lineup: Vanguard launches two asset allocation ETFs

A rough equity market in the fourth quarter hurt Canadian defined-benefit pension plans: Canadian DB pensions finish 2018 in negative territory: reports

On the pulse – New frontiers in fintech

The impact of regulation on fintech: Fintech innovation – is regulation a significant barrier?

How fintech will help the unbanked and underbanked in 2019: How will fintech offer disruption to financial services in 2019?

Canada is behind in its potential to adopt open banking: Canada lags in readiness for ‘open banking’

How AI can help perform testing in your digital initiatives: Artificial intelligence in testing: Top five use cases in financial services in 2019

Fintech’s impact on the future of wealth: Wealth is the next big fintech game changer

Fintechs aren’t providing the necessary help to millennials: How fintech companies are failing to help millennials with financial security

How to access the mobile ad market: How financial marketers can tap the surging mobile ad market

A look at why companies should consider a digital transformation: Why digital transformation? Challenge vs opportunity

Preparing your employees for the age of digital disruption: Learning and development in the digital age

A look at why bank branches shouldn’t be closed down: Why banks should stop closing branches

Automating trade data: A smarter way to report on financial trades?

Goldman Sachs and HSBC invest in tech start-up: Goldman Sachs and HSBC invest $20m in startup trying to make banks more like Apple

Barclays makes investment into fintech start-up: Barclays invests in payment-linked loyalty startup Bink

Scotiabank to launch fintech lab in Mexico: Scotiabank partners with Mexican university to open fintech accelerator

Trade groups team up to push digital assets and blockchain forward: Blockchain associations form new lobby group

High-net-worth topics

A look at family offices and their potential future: Multi-single-family offices are the future of UHNW families

Here a few mistakes the high-net-worth make: 10 big financial mistakes wealthy families make

A look at how the ultra wealthy are currently investing: Tiger 21 annual conference: CNBC interview with Tiger 21 founder Michael Sonnenfeldt on how the ultra-wealthy invest

Polls & surveys – What financials are saying

Asset managers see steady growth over the next seven years (Bloomberg): 5 asset management predictions for the next 7 years

The Canadian housing market and consumption could slow in 2019 (PIMCO): Downside risks for Canadian economy: PIMCO

Looking after a family member in cognitive decline has significant impact on family finances (RBC): The impact of cognitive decline on families’ finances: RBC survey

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