According to a report by Nationwide, women investors are getting more uneasy about their retirement prospects as market volatility continues and inflation remains a concern. Nationwide’s eighth annual “Advisor Authority” study, which is sponsored by its Nationwide Retirement Institute, found that more than 40% of women believe the U.S. is in a financial crisis, with another 24% believing that one is looming. Women are also feeling discouraged about retirement preparedness as the report found that nearly nine in 10 women (87%) said that no matter what they do to manage their finances, they still feel blindsided by events outside their control. That marks a double-digit percentage point increase over last year as only 76% voiced that sentiment in 2022. Nationwide also noted that more than half of non-retired women investors (54%) believe that inflation poses the most immediate challenge to their retirement. Thirty-eight percent also cited economic recession as a disruptor, while 21% pointed to market volatility. The “Advisor Authority” research was conducted online within the U.S. by the Harris Poll on behalf of Nationwide in January. The survey included 511 advisors and financial professionals and 789 investors aged 18 or over with investable assets of more than $10,000.

Finsum:According to Nationwide’s eighth annual “Advisor Authority” study, women investors are more uneasy about their retirement portfolios as market volatility, inflation, and a potential economic recession remain a concern.

According to Morningstar's separate account/collective investment trust database, the top-performing fixed-income managers in 2022 managed to post positive returns during a historically tough year for the asset class. Five of the top 10 managers were in Morningstar's ultrashort bond category, while three were in the multisector bond category. The remaining two included one in the non-traditional bond category, and one, which was the top overall, in Morningstar's muni national long bond category. That top-performing strategy was the 16th Amendment Advisors LLC's Vicksburg strategy, which posted a gross return of 46.03% for the year. John J. Lee, a co-founder and managing member of the firm, said in an email to Pension & Investments, that the strategy benefited from a "cautious and bearish outlook on interest rates in general. Further, it took advantage of the disarray in the marketplace due to sharply rising rates and historically volatile markets." Lee said that it “holds investment-grade municipal bonds, corporate bonds, and their hedges in a strategy that is targeted to investors looking for non-correlated high-grade fixed-income exposure.” The second-ranked strategy was T. Rowe Price's dynamic global bond strategy, which returned 4.66% for the year. The strategy falls into Morningstar's non-traditional bond category and holds U.S. and international debt securities.

Finsum:According to Morningstar's SMA/CIT database, five of the top ten performing fixed-income managers were in the ultrashort bond category, three were in the multisector bond category, while the top two overall were in the muni national long bond category and the non-traditional bond category.

While oil prices fluctuate constantly, there is a broad consensus that prices will rise throughout 2023. For instance, Forbes' Bill Sarubbi noted that the technical data of oil trading suggests prices are going to go higher. In a recent article, Sarubbi said that historical data shows oil prices tend to rise between March and May most of the time, therefore it makes sense to expect prices to rise this year as well. Data analytics firm Refinitiv singled out two factors that will drive prices on the supply and demand sides, Russia and China. Refinitiv expects Brent crude to rise above $100 per barrel by the end of the year and average $90 for the full year. The company said at a recent industry event that oil demand this year will surge by 2 million barrels daily and that China will account for half that. In addition, Russia's supply will tighten this month and maybe remain tight, which adds upward pressure to oil prices. Plus, Goldman Sachs senior energy economist Daan Struyven recently reiterated the bank's forecast for higher oil prices due to the lag between an oil market shock and the effect of the shock manifesting in futures prices.

Finsum:There is a broad consensus that oil prices will rise through the year due to technical data of oil trading suggesting prices are going to go higher, demand from China, tightened Russian supply, and the lag between an oil market shock and the effect of the shock manifesting in futures prices.

According to Investment Metrics' most recent fee analyzer report, active management fees dropped last year after underwhelming returns. U.S. fixed-income managers saw the largest reduction in fees, with a 7% average annual cut. In fact, post-negotiated fees for active managers decreased in most categories last year. The report was based on the analyses of almost 490 distinct accounts and co-mingled funds. According to Investment Metrics, the fee reduction trend appears to correspond to poor performance of active managers as most categories fell short of beating their standards. Scott Treacy, a research consultant at Investment Metrics, wrote the following in the report, “Normally, the fixed-income asset class protects investors when equity markets crater, but that did not happen in 2022.” He added, “Active U.S. fixed income disappointed in particular. Unfortunately, at a median level, active managers were not able to perform well in this environment.” While active managers had a chance to demonstrate that their expertise could shield portfolios during the downturn, the underwhelming results may put greater pressure on active strategies. Treacy concluded that “Those active managers that were not able to perform in the down market of 2022 will most likely see their assets go to passive strategies, or to other active managers that performed well in this difficult environment.”

Finsum:Active management fees dropped last year after managers produced underwhelming returns, with U.S. fixed-income managers seeing the largest reduction in fees.

While it might seem like the real estate industry is performing poorly, appearances can be misleading. That is according to Todd Henderson, Co-Head of Global Real Estate DWS Group. Real estate was ranked as the S&P 500's third worst-performing sector in 2022, but Henderson believes the real estate business is a lot stronger in reality. He asserts that the market from rentals to home buyers is doing well with exception of commercial office buildings. He told Yahoo Finance that “The underlying fundamentals of real estate are quite strong.” According to Henderson, rental vacancies finished last year at 5.3%, the lowest vacancy rate on record since 1988, while the rental industry saw 7.5% income growth in 2022, the highest historically, except during the recovery from COVID. He also noted another positive development, an increase in millennial homeownership. He said this will continue to bolster housing market activity. According to recent Pew Research, from 2016 to 2021, nearly every U.S. state saw an increase in the number of young adults aged 25-44 forming new households. Henderson also notes that the market has seen an increase in cash buyers. According to data analytics firm Attom, Americans bought one of every three single-family homes and condos with cash in 2022.

Finsum:While it seems like the real estate market is struggling, Todd Henderson, Co-Head of Global Real Estate DWS Group, believes the underlying fundamentals remain strong due to rental vacancies being the lowest in years, an increase in millennial homeownership, and an increase in cash buyers.