About this content About Sean Mason Sean Mason is a Senior Journalist at Proactive, having researched and written about Canadian and US equities for 20 years. Sean graduated from the University of Toronto with a BA in history and economics and has also passed the Canadian Securities Course. He previously worked at Investors Digest of Canada, Stockhouse, and SmallCapPower.com. Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and action ...

Following the strong upward move seen in the previous sessions, stocks may give back ground in early trading on Friday. The major index futures are currently pointing to a slightly lower open for the , with the S&P 500 futures down by 0.1 percent.Profit taking may contribute to initial weakness on Wall Street following yesterday's rally, which lifted the major averages to new record closing highs.Overall trading activity may be somewhat subdued, however, as traders look ahead to the Federal Reserve's monet ...

Economic Outlook - Signs of economic struggles in the U.S. are increasing ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate meeting in September, leading advisors and investors to consider increasing longer duration exposures in their portfolios in anticipation of potential rate cuts [1][2] Job Market Data - Recent jobs market data shows notable weakening, with August hiring significantly below expectations at just 22,000 jobs added. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revised the number of jobs added downward by 911,000 for the period between April 2024 and March 2025, indicating a more fragile labor market and supporting expectations for rate cuts [2] Investment Strategy - Many advisors and investors have maintained underweights in longer duration bonds due to uncertainty surrounding inflation and interest rates. If rate cuts resume, increasing core bond exposures through the Neuberger Berman Total Return Bond ETF (NBTR) may be beneficial [3] NBTR Fund Overview - The NBTR fund relies on a team of sector specialists to outperform across market cycles, offering fixed income diversification by investing in a variety of bonds, including government, corporate, mortgage-backed, and asset-backed securities. The majority of its investments are in investment-grade bonds, but up to 30% may include "junk bonds" [4] Investment Approach - The fund's strategy involves investing in undervalued securities while selling those deemed overvalued. It primarily focuses on domestic bonds, with up to 15% allocated to foreign bonds and utilizes derivatives for risk hedging and portfolio efficiency. The fund aims to maintain an average duration within two years of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index [4][5] Portfolio Construction - Portfolio construction is informed by analysis from sector specialty research teams, considering factors such as cash flows, balance sheet strength, market positions, and financially material ESG factors when evaluating securities. The NBTR fund has an expense ratio of 0.37% [5]

Group 1 - Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank anticipate the U.S. Federal Reserve will implement interest rate cuts at all three remaining meetings in 2023, with a 25 basis points cut expected in September, October, and December [1][2] - The Fed is expected to initiate a new easing cycle in the upcoming policy meeting, marking its first rate cut since December 2024, due to signs of a slowdown in the job market [2][3] - Traders are pricing in a 95% probability of a 25 basis points rate cut next week, with only a 5% chance of a more significant 50 basis points cut [4] Group 2 - Deutsche Bank forecasts four consecutive 25 basis points rate cuts starting next week and extending through January 2026, with additional cuts anticipated in April and July 2026 [3] - Morgan Stanley suggests that current market conditions allow the Fed to move more swiftly towards a neutral policy stance [2][3] - Standard Chartered is the only brokerage predicting a 50 basis points rate cut this month, contrasting with the broader market consensus [4]

Core Viewpoint - Investors are advised to reconsider their expectations for UPS and FedEx due to the recent policy changes affecting low-value package imports, which are expected to significantly impact their revenues [1][2][3]. Group 1: Policy Impact - The de minimis exemption, which allowed low-value packages under $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free, was halted on August 29, affecting 92% of all cargo entering the U.S., or approximately 4 million packages daily [2][3]. - The closure of this loophole is anticipated to reduce demand for e-commerce goods from abroad, particularly impacting retailers and shipping companies [3]. Group 2: Financial Outlook - Bank of America estimates that International Priority & Economy packages constitute 17% of FedEx's revenues and 16% of UPS's revenues, translating to about 1.1 million packages for FedEx and 1.7 million for UPS daily [3]. - Retailers like Lululemon and Tapestry expect profit declines in the tens of millions due to the policy shift, indicating broader implications for the shipping industry [3]. Group 3: Analyst Ratings - Bank of America downgraded FedEx's outlook from "buy" to "neutral," lowering its target price by $5 to $240, which is below the average analyst estimate of $264 [6]. - UPS received a more negative outlook, with a downgrade to "underperform" and a target price of $83, significantly lower than the $104 analyst average [6]. - UPS shares have decreased by 33% this year, while FedEx shares are down 18.7% [6].

Ah, the financial markets. A bastion of rational thought, meticulous planning, and predictable reactions to geopolitical stability. Or, at least, that’s what the textbooks say. In the era of Donald J. Trump, however, this venerable institution often resembles a particularly volatile carnival ride, powered by presidential pronouncements and the collective shrug of investors who’ve learned to expect the unexpected. Forget economic indicators; the real market mover is often a social media post, a televised thr ...

By Sinéad Carew and Iain Withers NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - MSCI's global equities index edged higher on Friday, after registering a record close in the prior session, while U.S. Treasury yields rebounded after sliding the day before when expectations climbed for U.S. rate cuts. The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers showed that U.S. consumer sentiment fell for a second straight month in September to its lowest point since May, as consumers saw rising risks to business conditions, the labor m ...

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) on Thursday closed up +0.85%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) closed up +1.36%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) closed up +0.60%.  September E-mini S&P futures (ESU25) rose +0.81%, and September E-mini Nasdaq futures (NQU25) rose +0.60%. Stock indexes settled higher on Thursday, with the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrials, and the Nasdaq 100 all posting new record highs.  Stocks rallied after Thursday’s as-expected Aug CPI report and an unexpected surge in ...

Key Points Investors are expecting unemployment data to force the Fed to cut interest rates next week, despite hotter-than-expected inflation. The Federal Reserve faces a tough balancing act with inflation still nearly a percentage point above its 2% target while jobless claims have hit their highest level since October 2021. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › Shares of Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) climbed higher on Thursday, finishing the day up 6%. The spike came as the S&P 500 ga ...

Group 1: Euro and ECB - The euro rose by +0.37% after the ECB kept interest rates unchanged and raised its 2025 Eurozone GDP forecast to +1.2% from +0.9% [1][5] - ECB President Lagarde indicated that the disinflationary process is over, suggesting that the ECB is done cutting interest rates [1][5] - The ECB maintained its 2025 Eurozone inflation ex-food and energy estimate at 2.4% [5] Group 2: US Economic Indicators - US August CPI increased to +2.9% y/y from +2.7% y/y in July, aligning with expectations [3] - Weekly initial unemployment claims rose by +27,000 to a 3.75-year high of 263,000, indicating a weaker labor market than anticipated [3][4] - The markets are pricing in a -73 bp rate cut in the federal funds rate by year-end, reducing it to 3.60% from the current 4.33% [2] Group 3: Dollar and Fed Expectations - The dollar index fell by -0.28% as jobless claims rose unexpectedly and CPI met expectations, reinforcing the likelihood of a 25 bp rate cut by the Fed [4] - The dollar is under pressure from increased expectations for Fed easing and concerns over Fed independence [3][4] Group 4: Precious Metals Market - Gold prices closed down -0.23% while silver prices rose +1.32%, reflecting mixed performance in precious metals [9] - Gold demand is supported by geopolitical risks in Europe and increased purchases by China's central bank, which raised its gold reserves to 74.02 million troy ounces [10] - Fund buying of precious metal ETFs has led to gold holdings reaching a 2.25-year high and silver holdings a 3-year high [12]