monday-morning-briefing

Monday morning briefing – March, 25, 2019

Understanding the differences between sustainable investing approaches. Companies benefit from API adoption. The financial advice industry needs regulators to act quickly on adopting digital technology. Three key steps to transform a bank. And much more in this week’s briefing.

Economic/industry news

The U.S. Federal Reserve Board (“Fed”) held interest rates steady: Fed holds line on rates, says no more hikes ahead this year

Will the pause by the Fed lead to a more vulnerable economy?: Guggenheim’s Minerd says Fed making economy more vulnerable

Canada’s inflation rate rose to 1.5% in February: Inflation edges up, but underlying pressures soften

The BoE maintained its Bank Rate at 0.75%: Bank of England holds interest rates as Brexit extension remains uncertain

Is a trade deal with China still close?: Some U.S. officials said to see China walking back trade pledges

Understanding the differences between sustainable investing approaches: Three approaches to sustainable investing

Low return environment could have institutional investors substantially changing their portfolios: Institutional investors changing portfolios to deal with uncertain markets: survey

News and notes (U.S.)

The Barclay Hedge Fund Index gained 1.24% in February: Hedge funds extend winning streak to a second month, says BarclayHedge

Net flows into hedge funds were weak in February: Hedge funds see lowest February net flows since 2009, despite positive month

MFA head to step down from position at the end of 2019: Head of top hedge fund association to step down

What does the future hold for private equity (“PE”) and the retail industry?: What remains for private equity and retail?

Assets in private debt expected to double in the next five years: Shadow banking tops lending activity in private equity

An in-depth look at the performance of four large PE firms in 2018: A visual representation of 2018 performance from four PE giants

BlackRock cut the fee on its S&P 500 Index Fund for its largest clients: BlackRock charging its lowest fee ever for an index mutual fund

2018 was a tough year for U.S. equity funds: 69% of U.S. equity funds underperformed in 2018

Mutual fund sales and performance over the past two weeks: Mutual funds scorecard: March 19 edition

News and notes (Canada)

RBC launches ESG ETFs: RBC iShares launches six ESG-focused ETFs

Proposed tax changes could affect investment funds: Proposed federal tax changes prompt fund assessments

3iQ to get hearing on Bitcoin fund application: OSC hearing on bitcoin fund set for April

Canaccord Genuity to acquire wealth management business in London: Canaccord Genuity set to acquire Thomas Miller Wealth Management

A look at some of the key items from the 2019 Federal Budget: Highlights from the 2019 federal budget tabled Tuesday

On the pulse – New frontiers in fintech

Will technological advancements change the way that we categorize stocks?: Forget growth vs. value, think digital vs. decline 

An in-depth look at contextual banking: Exceptional customer experiences depend on more than data alone

Open banking and real-time payments could help banks grow: Convergence of real-time payments and open banking helps banks to grow revenue and attract customers

Three key steps to transform a bank: Transforming the bank: Three phases of change

Employing business intelligence software helps firms grow revenue: New research finds business intelligence tech leads to 24% higher revenue

The financial advice industry needs regulators to act quickly on adopting digital technology: Regulators must embrace digital innovation: C.D. Howe

Companies benefit from API adoption: How APIs can transform your company

Amazon Pay will now be available through Worldpay’s API: Worldpay becomes first acquirer to enable Amazon Pay

High-net-worth topics

The high-net-worth are looking for a high level of investment expertise in a wealth manager: Wealthy investors need skilled and savvy advisors

Here are some common wealth transfer concerns of the wealthy: Wealth transfer: the most common question families ask

Helping the high-net-worth with their spending: Inside Merrill’s new framework for wealthy families

Polls & surveys – What financials are saying

Fitch lowered its 2019 global growth forecast to 2.8% (Fitch): Global growth looks weaker, Fitch says

Allocation to equities falling (Merrill Lynch): Jumpy investors continue to flee stocks: Merrill

Canadians willing to share personal information with financial services firms for lower prices (Accenture): Nearly half of Canadian consumers willing to share significant personal data with banks and insurers in exchange for lower pricing, Accenture Study Finds

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