You can find original article here WealthManagement. Subscribe to our free daily WealthManagement newsletters. Advisors overwhelmingly look to private market assets to diversify risk in client portfolios, according to the fourth annual survey conducted by alts platform CAIS and financial consultancy Mercer. The survey also found that 90% of advisors currently allocate to alts and 88% plan to increase allocations over the next two years. In addition, almost half of the surveyed advisors (49%) on average a ...

Core Insights - The pace of new investors entering the market has significantly declined over recent years, as indicated by a new analysis from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority [1] Investor Trends - In 2024, only 8% of investors reported starting to invest within the last two years, a sharp decrease from 21% in 2021 [2] - The survey included 2,861 U.S. respondents with non-retirement investment accounts, highlighting challenges faced by younger investors in terms of investing knowledge and risk assessment [3] Demographic Changes - Tracking investors from 2021 to 2024 showed a median age increase from 31 to 38 for those with less than two years of experience, suggesting that many younger adults who began investing during the pandemic have exited the market [4] Investment Preferences - Individual stocks remain the most common investment in non-retirement accounts, followed by mutual funds, but the growth in ETF ownership has stalled between 2021 and 2024 after a 10% increase from 2015 to 2021 [5] - The ownership of penny stocks, REITs, private placements, or structured notes has slightly declined, returning to levels last seen in 2018 [6] Risk Appetite - The percentage of investors willing to take average risks for average returns remained stable at 48%, while those willing to take substantial risks for significant returns dropped by 4% [7] - Among investors under 35, the willingness to take substantial risks decreased from 24% to 15%, although 62% still believe that taking considerable risks is necessary [8]

Core Insights - Stifel Financial has settled three arbitration claims for nearly $3.4 million related to a former broker's sales of structured notes [1] - The firm is facing ongoing legal challenges, including a significant FINRA arbitration award of nearly $133 million, which Stifel is contesting [2] - There are 17 additional pending cases against Stifel, all involving misrepresentation of structured notes and their unsuitability for clients [3] Company Developments - Stifel has agreed to sell its independent advisor channel, which consists of approximately 110 advisors and $9 billion in client assets, to Equitable [3] - Legal issues may accelerate Stifel's decision to sell its remaining business, with Raymond James being considered as a potential buyer [4][5] - Discussions regarding a potential acquisition of Stifel by Raymond James have taken place, highlighting the compatibility of their core businesses [6] Industry Context - The growth of independent businesses in wealth management is outpacing other financial service channels, making scale a competitive advantage [7]

RT The Block (@TheBlock__)DBS Bank to tokenize structured notes on Ethereum for institutional investors https://t.co/jT4w5EbCQh ...

Tokenization - DBS Bank will tokenize structured notes using Ethereum [1]

Tokenization - DBS Bank 将在 Ethereum 上为机构投资者 Token 化结构性票据 [1]

Tokenization & Blockchain - DBS tokenizes structured notes on Ethereum [1] - This tokenization opens doors to more investors [1]