Wealth Management
According to a new PwC survey, eight in 10 investors plan to increase their exposure to ESG strategies over the next two years. PwC’s Asset and Wealth Management Survey, which was part of its Asset and Wealth Management Revolution 2022 report, is a global survey of asset managers and institutional investors. The survey sample included 250 respondents, accounting for a combined asset under management of approximately $50 trillion. The survey also revealed that asset managers are expected to increase their ESG-related assets to $33.9 trillion by 2026, up from $18.4 trillion in 2021. ESG-related assets are expected to grow at a much faster pace than the asset and wealth management market as a whole. ESG assets in the US are expected to more than double from $4.5 trillion in 2021 to $10.5 trillion in 2026, while Europe ESG assets would increase 53% to $19.6 trillion. However, as demand for ESG products rapidly increases, 30% of investors say it’s a struggle to find attractive and adequate ESG opportunities due to a lack of consistent and transparent standards.
Finsum: A recent PWC survey revealed that 80% of investors are expected to increase their exposure to ESG over the next two years, while assets in ESG products are predicted to hit $33.9 trillion by 2026.
Sure, among investors, passive investment strategies still can yield exposure to broad market data, according to wellington.com.
Yet, for skilled active management, the new regime today, which is comprised of inflation and interest rates pointing north as well as an acceleration of dispersion across fixed income sectors and regions, is custom made for skilled active management, the site continued.
Considering that, among investors, the time now be just right to opportunistically position their portfolios.
Now, given the rebound of inflation’s largely a global matter, you might want to put the cookie cutter away. In Europe, inflation’s being fueled by catalysts that vary from the issue in the U.S. Distinct structural headwinds face each region – a divergence that, for investors, sparks possible opportunities.
In Europe, well, climbing inflation’s stems mainly from energy and food prices unfavorably tipping the scale. The spiraling price tags of these staples have been absorbed by businesses and consumers. Meantime, In the U.S., demand, more so, has been the impetus of recent pressures driven by inflation.
Their respective fixed income markets have priced in the duo threats of recession and sources of inflation in the euro area opposed to the U.S.
The brunt of the changes in interest rates potentially can be minimized through the active management of sensitivity to interest rates with duration positioning, according to gsam.com. Blunting sensitivity to rates changes could usher in positive returns in any rate environment.
Exchange traded funds are the bomb as they play an "expanded role in portfolio construction," according to a recently released report by State Global Markets, the survey sponsor, reported pionlne.com.
Participating in the survey were 700 global institutional investors responsible for asset allocation decisions at pension funds, wealth managers, asset managers, endowments, foundations and sovereign wealth funds.
In fixed income, the outlook -- short term – is dominated by unrelenting inflation and upticks in central bank interest rates, according to ssga.com At the same time, however, investor implementation and fixed income allocations management are influenced by longer term, structural forces.
And talk about a financial trend to swoon for. In fixed income ETFs, assets under management ballooned from $574 billion in 2017 to $1.28 trillion in 2021. Over the same time period, there was a rapid acceleration of in the number of funds -- from 278 to nearly 500.
The role of ETFs in asset allocation’s expanding to non-core sectors, the 2022 survey shows, according to the site. One example: 62% of investors who are increasing exposure to high-yield corporate credit over the next 12 months say it is likely they will use ETFs to do so, and 53% say the same for emerging-market debt.
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While direct index may be a hot industry topic, not all advisors are buying in. In fact, most clients don’t even know what direct indexing is. Based on comments from a panel of advisors and tech executives at the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards earlier this month, clients aren’t asking for direct indexing and most have never heard of the term. While financial giants such as Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Vanguard, Pershing, Schwab, and Franklin Templeton are acquiring firms and building out direct index offerings, the strategy has not made its way into client and advisor discussions. Megan Meade, CEO of The Pacific Financial Group told WealthManagement.com, “They’re just not that sophisticated of investors. They don’t have the assets for that. Nor do they need that level of tax efficiency.” Adding to the uncertainty are tech executives who are also unsure about the current value of direct indexing. J. Helen Yang, founder and CEO of Andes Wealth Technologies told the publication, “I am very skeptical about direct indexing as a way to offer personalization.”
Finsum: A recent panel of advisors and tech executives revealed that many haven’t bought into direct indexing yet, while most clients don’t even know what it is.
Guardian Life Insurance recently announced that Talcott Resolution Life Insurance Company will reinsure about $7.4 billion in variable annuity benefits. Most of the contracts have guaranteed living withdrawal benefits and death benefit riders. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year. While Guardian will still be responsible for meeting contract obligations, advisors may have to explain to their clients why a lesser-known company is backing the guarantees. Guardian stated that it pursued this deal to focus its capital on exploring additional opportunities. Talcott only started after the Great Recession, when Hartford Financial Services wanted to separate from its large annuity business. The firm was aquired by Sixth Street last year. This deal is especially noteworthy as pressure from low returns has been pushing companies to find ways to distance themselves from some types of annuity businesses.
Finsum: To focus its capital on additional opportunities, Guardian Life picked Talcott Resolution Life to reinsure $7.4 Billion in variable annuities.
Kestra Investment Management recently announced the launch of its first two model portfolios series. The portfolios, which are exclusively designed for financial professionals associated with Kestra, are structured to maximize opportunities for clients, by providing options based on a client’s risk preference, desire for growth, and tax sensitivity. Both portfolio series have tax-aware versions, are low-cost, and flexible to fit a wide range of client needs. The Strategic Series has a long-term focus with multiple risk profiles. It is designed to be an efficient, streamlined solution with low turnover while still maintaining exposure to potential economic growth. The Dynamic Series is more active and has a higher level of trading activity for investors looking to benefit from changes in economic and market trends. The Kestra Investment Management team will manage the model portfolios. The team will analyze potential investments, use a rigorous due diligence process to select the best-suited funds, monitor portfolio allocations to opportunistically make changes, and regularly rebalance those allocations to keep each portfolio model aligned with its goals.
Finsum: Kestra launched two model portfolio series, one with low turnover and another with a higher level of trading.