It's great to talk to you today. Tell me a little bit about this diversification and and why and we're hearing it from lots of different sources today. Why it's so important heading into 2026.>> Yeah, you know, you so Contessa, you mentioned it there. There's some some trading, some adjusting of positions here at year end. We would look through that, look past that.We see the AI capex trend, the spending trend on equipment continuing to grow next year. We think that's a reliable trend, but we don't want to ...

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A firm specializing in rating insurers in Florida's troubled market is now under growing scrutiny from lawmakers https://t.co/rkKb5GODXL ...

Core Insights - Financial institutions are rapidly adopting AI agents for customer-facing processes, significantly transforming interactions with banks and insurers [1][2] - The Capgemini Research Institute predicts that AI agents could generate up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028, highlighting a substantial opportunity for the financial services sector [2][7] - Despite optimism, only 10% of firms have implemented AI agents at scale, indicating a large potential for growth in this area [5][6] Adoption and Implementation - Key processes for AI agent deployment in banks include customer service (75%), fraud detection (64%), loan processing (61%), and customer onboarding (59%) [1] - Insurers also prioritize customer service (70%), underwriting (68%), claims processing (65%), and onboarding (59%) [1] - 80% of financial services firms are in the ideation or pilot stage for AI agent deployment, with 33% developing proprietary agents in-house [5][6] Economic Impact and Investment - Nearly two-thirds of executives (61%) view cloud-based orchestration as critical to their AI strategy, transforming cloud platforms into innovation engines [3] - C-suite executives are aligning investments with AI agent technologies, with nearly two-thirds indicating that up to 40% of their generative AI budget is allocated to these technologies [7] - By 2028, one in four firms expects to increase spending on AI agent solutions by up to 60% [7] Challenges to Adoption - Executives cite a skills gap among business leaders and employees (92%) and regulatory compliance burdens (96%) as major roadblocks to AI adoption [8] - High implementation costs are also a barrier, leading 25% of firms to consider a service-as-a-software model for AI consumption and monetization [9]

Core Insights - Financial institutions are rapidly adopting AI agents for customer-facing processes, transforming interactions in banking and insurance sectors [2][3] - AI agents are projected to deliver up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028, indicating significant opportunities for the financial services industry [3] - A majority of firms are in the ideation or pilot stage of AI agent deployment, with only 10% having implemented them at scale [6] Adoption and Implementation - Key processes for AI deployment in banks include customer service (75%), fraud detection (64%), loan processing (61%), and customer onboarding (59%) [2] - Insurers prioritize customer service (70%), underwriting (68%), claims processing (65%), and onboarding (59%) [2] - 33% of banks are developing proprietary AI agents in-house, while nearly half are creating new roles to supervise these agents [3][8] Benefits and Opportunities - Executives believe AI agents can enhance efficiency in customer onboarding, KYC, loan processing, and claims management, with benefits including real-time decision-making (96%), improved accuracy (91%), and faster turnaround times (89%) [7] - 92% of executives see AI agents facilitating expansion into new geographies without heavy infrastructure costs [9] - 79% believe cloud-native AI agents can enable dynamic pricing and offers, enhancing revenue potential [9] Investment Trends - Nearly two-in-three executives allocate up to 40% of their generative AI budget to agent technologies, with expectations of increasing spending on AI agent solutions by up to 60% by 2028 [10] - A growing number of firms (25%) are considering a service-as-a-software model to manage AI costs effectively [12] Challenges to Adoption - Executives identify a skills gap (92%) and regulatory compliance burdens (96%) as major obstacles to AI adoption [11] - High implementation costs are also a barrier, prompting firms to explore new consumption and monetization models for AI [12]

Core Insights - Financial institutions are rapidly adopting AI agents for customer-facing processes, with significant deployment in customer service, fraud detection, loan processing, and onboarding [1][2][5] - AI agents are projected to deliver up to $450 billion in economic value by 2028, prompting banks and insurers to develop proprietary AI solutions and create supervisory roles [2][7] - The integration of AI and cloud technologies is transforming operational strategies, with a focus on real-time decision-making and improved efficiency [3][4][6] Adoption and Implementation - Currently, only 10% of financial services firms have implemented AI agents at scale, while 80% are in the ideation or pilot stages [5][7] - Executives identify customer onboarding and KYC processes as the most inefficient, with high expectations for AI agents to enhance accuracy and turnaround times [6][10] Economic Impact and Opportunities - 92% of executives believe AI agents will facilitate expansion into new markets without significant infrastructure costs, and 79% see potential for dynamic pricing strategies [8][9] - Nearly two-thirds of leaders allocate up to 40% of their generative AI budget to agent technologies, with expectations of increasing spending by up to 60% by 2028 [9] Challenges to Adoption - Major barriers to AI adoption include a skills gap among employees (92%) and regulatory compliance issues (96%) [10] - High implementation costs are prompting firms to consider a service-as-a-software model, focusing on outcomes rather than traditional licensing [11]

Shares of US health-care insurers and hospitals are falling as lawmakers near a deal to end the record shutdown without extending Affordable Care Act subsidies https://t.co/45MO33dsN1 ...

Italy’s government reaches an agreement over a complex scheme that would see banks and insurers contributing about €11 billion to its budget over three years https://t.co/G5VKJT03V5 ...

Core Insights - The healthcare sector has emerged as the best performing S&P 500 sector in October, reversing its previous lagging position [1] - The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) has gained nearly 4.5% this quarter, while the broader S&P 500 remains largely flat [1] - XLV has attracted approximately $872 million in net new money by October 13, making it one of the top 10 equity ETF asset gatherers this quarter [1] Sector Performance - Prior to October, healthcare had experienced outflows of 6% of its start-of-the-year total assets, indicating a significant shift in investor sentiment [3] - The healthcare sector is characterized as defensive, less vulnerable to cyclical trends, and is currently trading at about a 27% discount to the S&P 500 [3][5] - State Street Investment Management projects XLV's 3-5 year earnings growth at 9.3%, compared to the S&P 500's forecast of 12% [3] Stock-Level Insights - Major healthcare stocks have performed well in October, with Eli Lilly up over 12%, Merck up 8%, Amgen up 7.5%, and Gilead up over 5% [5] - XLV, as the largest healthcare ETF with over $36 billion in assets, serves as a market-cap weighted proxy for the sector [6] Future Outlook - The healthcare sector's unique combination of valuation, growth potential, and defensive characteristics may continue to attract investor interest, especially amid macroeconomic uncertainties [7]

French banks and insurers are tapping the European market for new bonds on Monday, with no sign of investor demand being hit by the country’s ongoing political crisis https://t.co/o5YuWY2QXK ...