FINSUM
Tax-Loss Harvesting to Avoid New Cap-Gains in 2022
Capital gains taxes vary based on a lot of factors. Those dwelling in California for example may pay up to capital gains like regular income for their state taxes, which can be brutal. However, variation in income and holding duration play a large part in the total expected payments for cap gains. Finally, medicare surtaxes for those couples with over a quarter of a million in income will face additional capital gains taxes. Investors should take early precautions at the beginning of 2022 to consider how to mitigate their tax bill for the upcoming year with tax-loss harvesting. Realizing certain losses in the middle of turmoil can minimize your final tax burden.
Finsum: There are great advantages in tax-loss harvesting that you can take advantage of in crypto still, and now might be a perfect time.
With Record Outflows, is it Time to Buy Corporate Bonds?
Everyone and their dog has been pivoting to ultra-short duration pseudo-cash bond ETFs in the fixed income balance of their portfolio and this is causing a sell-off of lots of corporate bond ETFs. LQD saw its fifth day of outflows which set a pandemic era record. This brought together a total of $856 million in investor outflows. This is part of a blogger trend where sentiment around investment-grade bonds is weakening. However, it's not because they are less likely to pay back but more a reflection of investment-grade corporate debt generally having a longer duration, which is the risk investors don’t want with upcoming rate hikes.
Finsum: The risk premium hasn’t changed with corporate debt just the term structure risk. Fundamentally these bonds could still be in a good place.
Goldman Deepens ESG Investment
ESG ETFs continue a fire streak and every single Wallstreet mainstay is launching funds as fast as they can. Goldman launched their latest fund this week Goldman Sachs Bloomberg Clean Energy Equity ETF which will be traded with the ticker GCLN. It will hopefully capitalize on the US transition to clean energy with a strong focus on equities. ESG has a strong track record as last year 13 ESG index funds with large caps crushed the S&P 500 with an almost 30% return. Goldman thinks the ESG movement is just in its infancy and this fund is a long-term strategy.
Finsum: The rapid growth in ESG funds is starting to teeter on bubble territory, but that bubble could pop a long time from now.
Biden to Let Inflation Run Wild
That's correct, Joe Biden’s latest economic rebrand is really a diet version Ronald Reagan era policy. In a recent statement, Joe Biden said that in response to inflation we can either “increase the supply of cars” or “reduce demand for cars by making Americans poorer”. This is essential supply-side economics made famous by the Reagan administration. Additionally, Yellen coined the term ‘modern supply-side’ economics just two weeks later in order to push the Build Back Better bill. This is a liberal tilt on aiding the weakening supply chains that will hopefully strengthen the economic recovery. It's a response to republicans’ attacks that BBB will surge debt and inflation.
FINSUM: The economy is in a difficult place, there is still catch up needed but undoubtedly Americans are feeling the force of inflation and another stimulus package could only further that problem.
Financials Get ESG Boost
The latest data from MSCI Inc. regarding the environmental social and governance criteria gave updates to America’s largest Financial companies like Wells Fargo, Citigroup, and Morgan Stanley. However, some are accusing rating agencies of ‘greenwashing’ the criteria because these same companies lent a combined $74 billion to fossil-fuel companies. This is the exact reason the SEC is looking to step into ESG ratings in one of their latest announcements. In fact, only 3 lenders in the S&P 500 received ESG rating downgrades. This is mostly because MSCI only considers the fraction of loans to polluters, not their total value.
FINSUM: Total existing outward loans might just be a way the SEC could come down on future ESG rating regulation if these stories gather more headlines.