Displaying items by tag: interest rates

Annuities, which base their returns on market interest rates, are currently more attractive due to the highest rates since 2001. Fixed annuities are offering higher guaranteed rates, and fixed index annuities now have higher possible caps for returns. 

Variable annuities are less affected by interest rate changes since their returns depend on mutual fund performance. Many annuities offer initial bonuses, which can offset surrender charges if switching from an older annuity with lower rates.

 Age also impacts how beneficial high interest rates are, with younger annuity holders potentially locking in higher lifetime income. However, potential future rate cuts add urgency, but it's essential to ensure annuities align with long-term financial goals to avoid penalties.

Finsum: Fixed annuities are in a very favorable position giving a 40 year high in interest rates. 

According to Echelon Insights, 2024 will be another strong year for M&A activity with larger RIAs picking up smaller firms. This follows a strong year for the industry in 2023 despite headwinds such as higher borrowing costs which impacted buyers’ ability to impact financing. Yet, the robustness of M&A in less than ideal conditions reveals strong fundamentals.

In 2023, there were more than 320 deals for RIAs. It was the second-highest year on record other than 2022 which saw 342 deals. Over the last 5 years, the number of deals in the space have grown at a 12.1% annual compounded rate. Average assets per transaction was up 4%, while private equity was the most aggressive acquirer. In total, the sector was involved in 71% of deals and added cumulative assets of $466 billion.

Last year, the largest transactions in terms of asset size were Captrust and Cetera Financial Group. Cetera acquired Avanax for $1.2 billion to bolster its succession planning offerings and tax and wealth management capabilities. Captrust acquired Trutina Financial for $1.1 billion and had a total of 8 deals, adding $14 billion in assets. 

Finsum: Research firm Echelon Insights is forecasting another strong year for RIA M&A activity in 2024. 2023 had the second-most number of deals, despite several macro headwinds. 

Sure tech investors have had their share of ups and downs, but they have been largely insulated from the market’s bigger losses but things could change. The underlying trends in the technology sector are looking as bad as they have in a long time. There is severe weakness in consumer-oriented hardware products. Moreover, as supply chains relax these prices could fall further. Additionally, sub-sectors such as enterprise tech spending are starting to deteriorate. The weakening demand is beginning to show at the company level as earnings season shows signs of weakness in technology. While there have been outliers such as Cisco, the market might not be ready for widespread tech deterioration.

Finsum: The other huge problem is rising interest rates and rampant inflation which lower the value of future earnings and make growth stocks less attractive.

(New York)

Bank stocks have had somewhat of a rough time this year. Like the rest the of the market they have been subject to turbulence. However, Barron’s says that clear sailing might lay ahead, as the stocks are looking less risky and likely to have more gains. The reason why is that bank stocks have been showing less and less beta lately, meaning they are trading at less relative volatility to the market than previously. This will lower their cost of capital and keep things steadier as rates rise, which will be bullish for performance. According to one research analyst, “Higher rates will have a positive impact on earnings, loan growth appears to be picking up, and we expect further regulatory relief”.

FINSUM: Given that higher rates improve net interest margins for banks, and the fact that there is significant regulatory relief occurring, we are feeling optimistic.