(Washington)

Advisors have recently been feeling relieved about the fifth circuit court ruling that struck down the DOL’s version of the fiduciary rule. However, it may not be time to jump for joy yet. The fifth circuit is supposed to issue a mandate which vacates the rule, which takes it out of force. It is unclear why the fifth circuit court has not done so yet, but it is starting to make the industry nervous.

FINSUM: Most say the court simply has not gotten around to issuing the mandate yet, but that seems odd given it has been two months since the verdict. The next date to watch is May 16th, as that is the deadline for states and other entities to apply for appeals to the ruling.

(New York)

There is a lot of scuttlebutt in the wealth management industry about fee compression. The narrative is that there is much price competition across the industry and investment advisors are having to cut their fees and add services to stay relevant. Well, the reality is fees are actually moving higher. According to a new survey from FinancialAdvisor, many advisors are actually hiking fees between 10 to 25 basis points. The finding adds to another survey from Pershing which found that 84% of advisors had not changed fees in 2017, and those that did had hiked rather than cutting.

FINSUM: This is a very healthy sign for the industry, especially given the fee war going on in ETFs and the asset management industry.

(New York)

Individual bond sales to retail clients may be about to take a hit. The reason why is a new set of rules being enacted on brokers that require them to disclose the price at which they bought bonds before they sell them to clients (if it occurs on the same day). The idea of the rule is to give investors a clear idea of the price they are paying for bonds. Brokers are worried that the new rule will cut into their fees and lead investors to stop buying bonds in favor of bond funds.

FINSUM: So we understand the thrust of this rule, but as a counterargument, we ask our readers to consider: what other industries have to disclose their margins to customers during a transaction? When you buy a new iPhone, does apple need to say they have a 90% margin on the phone?

(New York)

Are you or your clients looking for income? Most seem to be. Income investments seem poised to do well over the next decade as more and more Baby Boomers retire and need income. Well, here are some of the best dividend stocks to take a look at. Unsurprisingly, they come from the group known as the dividend aristocrats, which are a group of companies that have raised dividends every year for twenty-five years. Here are some of the highest yielding names of the group: AT&T, Chevron, Target, Coca-Cola, Exxon-Mobil, and PepsiCo, among others.

FINSUM: So all these stocks are yielding well over 3%. However, the issue with them is that they have not performed very well over the last year.

(New York)

A lot of investors are worried about the stock market. The market has been essentially flat this year, but given fears over a looming trade war, a potential recession, and higher rates, there is much concern about the potential for falling prices. All that said, here is a factor that may boost markets, but doesn’t seem to be fully priced-in by the market: growing buybacks. Goldman Sachs forecasts that companies in the S&P 500 will buyback a record $650 bn worth of stocks this year, far outpacing the record set in 2007. This should lead to a buyback yield of about 3% for investors, which combined with the dividend yield should net investors about 5%.

FINSUM: A record setting year for buybacks would be a big boost for markets that are lacking a growth story at the moment.