Content (52)
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White papersQ1 2025 Taxable Municipals Market Review and Outlook
Q1 returns in the taxable municipal market were strong—but not for the reasons you might expect. While falling Treasury yields boosted performance, policy-related risks and technical pressures raised questions about where valuations go from here.
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White papersData Center Investments: A 360-Degree View
Investment in data centers has increased dramatically, driven largely by explosive demand from generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the accelerating global reliance on digital infrastructure. As AI technologies advance, the need for larger, more energy-intensive facilities equipped with sophisticated infrastructure, such as high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs), continues to escalate, reshaping energy consumption patterns and influencing broader utilities and infrastructure markets. At the same time, the substantial power requirements and significant capital outlays involved in data center expansion present unique investment risks and opportunities across both public and private credit.
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White papersEM Sovereigns Amid U.S. Tariff Policy Resiliency Study – May 2025
During periods of external shock like the Global Financial Crisis (2008) or COVID-19 (2020), the macro variables that impact EM sovereigns can change suddenly and dramatically, necessitating a rethink of our credit views. We believe that the recent shift in U.S. policy could be another such shock causing serious ...
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White papersThe U.S. Labor Market: Caution or Confidence?
This month we investigate the details of the labour market for signs of weakness. On balance, the labor market remains quite stable. There are, however, a few points of concern.Youth unemployment is rising rapidly, and the length of time people are unemployed has risen. Restrictive immigration policies may also be contributing to tightening the supply of labor.
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White papersShort Duration Q1 Recap, Portfolio Actions & Outlook
Our quarterly update examines the market turbulence of Q1 and how short duration strategies navigated the challenges—and opportunities—of heightened macro uncertainty.
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White papersTariff Impacts and Infrastructure Debt’s Resilience
Infrastructure debt provides investors with access to a defensive asset class with lower correlation to economic cycles than general corporate debt given the essential nature of infrastructure assets. Nevertheless, tariffs will have both direct and indirect effects on certain infrastructure investments. Economic infrastructure assets and projects under construction, where there is exposure to supply chain issues or increased costs, will feel the greatest effect of tariffs. Defensive assets such as contracted-power generation, regulated transmission and utility assets, and availability-based public private partnerships will largely be unaffected by the additional tariffs.
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White papersDeglobalization. What’s Next?
We believe the Post-World War II, U.S.-dominated world order of globalization is quickly coming to an end. Between the possibilities of diversification, division, and disengagement that we discussed in our piece on globalization several years ago, the Trump Administration appears to be pursuing a disengagement strategy. Everyone— domestic players in the U.S. included—is now working to accommodate a less globally engaged U.S.
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White papersQ1 2025 Investment Grade Private Credit Review & Outlook
MetLife Investment Management’s Private Capital platform originated over $3.75B in Q1 2025 across corporate private placements, infrastructure debt and Private Asset Based Finance. The platform continues to benefit from investor appetite for high-quality yield, deal certainty, and structuring flexibility. Despite macro volatility, private credit remains supported by resilient fundamentals and global diversification. MIM’s focus on bilateral and proprietary transactions continues to help clients access differentiated opportunities suited for long-term portfolios.
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White papersQ1 2025 Emerging Markets Review and Outlook
Emerging markets have entered 2025 navigating a new phase of geopolitical and economic volatility. With the Trump administration’s trade-first agenda introducing fresh uncertainty—and a Fed now facing the prospect of stagflation—EMD investors are weighing both disruption and opportunity.
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White papersRelative Value & Tactical Asset Allocation – Q2 2025
Tariffs and trade policies can produce global growth volatility through direct economic effects and investment decisions, which could then translate into global financial market volatility. This could potentially add consumer stress and even impact consumers in the higher-income cohorts who have been less impacted by ongoing, above-target, inflation.
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White papersA Return to Uncertainty
We believe that even though 2025 is off to a rough start, firms and consumers will continue to adapt, and growth will stabilize over the year. Many of the negative impacts of lower activity in the beginning of the year (weaker consumer spending, weaker consumer confidence and high imports to front-run tariffs) are idiosyncratic and have the potential to be offset in subsequent quarters, resulting in overall growth that is healthy, albeit weaker than 2024.
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White papersQT or Not QT – Part Two
In the previous part of “QT or not QT” we discussed how the Federal Reserve balance sheet needs to change as it approached an optimal level. The final step, discussed by participants in the most recent Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, is to structure securities purchases in a way that would move the composition of the SOMA portfolio closer to the composition of outstanding Treasury debt. What would that mean for the current portfolio?
