All Risk Management articles – Page 2
-
White papersPrincipal Well-Being Index: Optimism among businesses in short supply
Macro uncertainty amid a series of shocks has led to a decline in confidence in both the business and broader economic outlook. Moreover, despite limited direct global exposure, these shocks have made small businesses grapple with the same macro pressures long faced by larger firms. Helping buffer these concerns, however, are relatively resilient underlying fundamentals, which should reduce the risk that these anxieties translate into broader economic weakness.
-
White papersApril jobs report: Solid gains support a Fed holding pattern
The April employment report showed a significantly stronger-than-expected 115,000 gain in payrolls. This was bolstered by a positive revision to last month’s even stronger gain. Strong payrolls and a still-low unemployment rate demonstrate the labor market’s resilience despite the ongoing energy shock, easing concerns about recessionary conditions. Moreover, with wages trending lower, the risk of an inflationary spiral remains low, providing the Fed with some breathing room.
-
White papersEmerging markets after Iran shock: AI, oil and market dispersion
Emerging markets continued their resurgence in early 2026, only to be tested by renewed geopolitical shocks. As AI leadership, oil disruption and policy credibility pull markets in different directions, performance has become increasingly uneven. We explore why emerging markets’ resilience is now defined by dispersion and what that means for investors.
-
White papersAI meets behavioural finance: smarter tools for retail investors
AI techniques are increasingly being used in retail investor analysis and advisory tools. By capturing complex non-linear relationships and incorporating unstructured data such as text and images, they can better reflect the multiple factors that drive investor behaviour.
-
White papersMDT: How we seek to enhance our alpha model
Elegance is an essential part of the process.
-
White papersChina’s Blueprint: What the 15th Five-Year Plan Means for Global Investors
The Trump-Xi summit will dominate the news. China’s 15th Five-Year Plan could prove the more consequential signal for global investors.
-
White papersPrivate Credit and BDCs: Why the Sell-Off Tells an Incomplete Story
We believe the private credit market is much more diverse—and resilient—than the recent focus on corporate direct lending and BDCs would suggest.
-
White papersStructure, not risk, driving US and European private credit divergence
Recent private credit repricing within the software sector has prompted wider questions about the asset class. However, amidst this repricing, the European market has proven far more resilient than the US. Why has this been the case? We suggest the answer lies in the structural, not risk-based differences that exist between these markets.
-
White papersSystematic Active Fixed Income Turns 2
Systematic Active Fixed Income’s (SAFI) first two years reinforce the power of our investment process also demonstrating how SAFI can complement fundamental active managers given low alpha correlations. Read more about the 2-year SAFI experience at State Street.
-
White papersEQuilibrium 2026 Global Institutional Investor Survey
Eight hundred institutional investors. One clear message: the rules of portfolio construction are being rewritten. Nuveen’s 2026 EQuilibrium survey reveals how institutions worldwide are responding to deglobalization, expanding their private market allocations and approaching AI with measured conviction. All while keeping a firm eye on long-term stability. Explore the full survey to see what your peers are doing and what it could mean for your own strategy.
-
White papersCIO Weekly: The Fed’s New Era
Last week’s Federal Reserve meeting was always going to be less about rates than about legacy: what Fed Chair Jay Powell leaves behind and what his successor, Kevin Warsh, walks into.
-
White papersPolicy on pause
“Global central banks are assessing the extent of the stagflationary shock. They want to keep market and consumer inflation expectations in check, while also retaining the flexibility to respond to any shock to growth and consumption. This is what we call disciplined optionality.”
-
White papersMarkets rebound as geopolitical shocks follow a familiar script
Global equity markets have staged a sharp rebound in recent weeks, delivering their strongest monthly performance in several years. The S&P 500 rose 10.5% in total return terms in April, its best month since November 2020. Additionally, despite persistent pessimism around Europe, the Stoxx 600 gained almost 6%, its strongest month since January 2025, while the MSCI Emerging Markets Index soared 15%, its best performance since November 2022.
-
VideoPrivate Credit Roundtable (2/3): How investors are assessing today’s credit cycle
Recent defaults have raised questions about the state of the credit cycle. In part 2 of the private credit roundtable series, our investors discuss whether these are early warning signs or simply pockets of dislocation.
-
White papersReal estate fundamentals remain intact amid geopolitical noise
Geopolitical risk has intensified, but markets are signaling volatility rather than systemic stress, which matters for commercial real estate. So far, the impact has flowed through commodity prices, not a repricing of long-term rates or broader financial conditions, helping preserve valuation support for income-oriented assets.
-
White papersApril ECB meeting: In a good position to make the right decision
As expected, the European Central Bank (ECB) held policy rates steady today, extending its pause for a seventh straight meeting in the current easing cycle. Rates on the deposit facility, main refinancing operations, and the marginal lending facility remain at 2.00%, 2.15%, and 2.40%, respectively.
-
White papersCLOs: Opportunity Amid Growing Dispersion
Dispersion and volatility have reshaped relative value across the CLO market. Structural protections and floating‑rate exposure remain supportive, but outcomes increasingly depend on credit underwriting, manager discipline and an ability to navigate a more selective opportunity set.
-
White papersConsumer delinquencies pose limited risks to financial stability
The conflict in the Middle East has triggered a renewed surge in gasoline prices, adding pressure to U.S. consumers already facing the highest credit delinquency rates since the Global Financial Crisis. Combined with a steady rise in consumer credit stress, these developments have heightened concerns that systemic financial vulnerabilities may be emerging, particularly in securitized credit markets. Investor worries have been further heightened by recent high-profile bankruptcies, including U.K. lender MFS in February, and First Brands and Tricolor in 2025.
-
White papersGCC Banks: A Five-Layer Defense for the Current Environment
A combination of strong fundamentals and sovereign support should help key financial institutions weather the storm.
-
White papersCIO Weekly: Japan Shows Resilience
Japan’s energy import dependence makes it one of the conflict’s more exposed markets. Yet its short-term resilience is high, and the longer-term investment case remains attractive.
