Since 1993, the Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) industry has grown to include approximately 1,100 products representing $1.1 trillion in assets. In 2007, there were approximately 430 products with $430 billion in assets. During 2011, fixed income ETFs have drawn the greatest cash flows within the ETF universe, with $16.1 billion added during the first half…
Wescott’s Asset Allocation Policy has been developed after years of research and observations, and is built upon a deep foundation of academic and economic research. We begin with an analysis of long term historical performance trends or the various asset classes, utilizing the University of Chicago’s Center for Research in Security Prices (“CRSP”). We then overlay…
We attended the 32nd Annual Monetary and Trade Conference recently held in Philadelphia by the Global Interdependence Center. The topic “Monetary Policy in Transition: Implications for Growth, Markets and the Dollar” brought forth various perspectives about the Federal Reserve and its options going forward. Presenters included economists, academics, investment professionals and former members of the…
Market Outlook and Perspective The fearmongers are back, with articles and newsletters predicting the next “50% crash” and numerous opinions about valuations, with Professor Jeremy Siegel and Nobel Prize winner Robert Shiller engaged in a public debate. We thought it would first be helpful to put in perspective how rare it is to have a…
The global economy is improving, however, the slow pace of growth and an element of “crisis fatigue” may be casting a shadow over the green lights we see for the economy. There are many reasons to be optimistic for the remainder of 2015. In the U.S., employment conditions are improving in many sectors. March revisions…
During 2014, we marked several 25th anniversaries. It has been a remarkable period of change. The World Wide Web was born on March 12, 1989, forever changing commerce and our lives. The citizens of China and Germany have experienced significant changes in the 25 years since the Tiananmen Square protests and the fall of the…
