Interest Rate Hike – The Waiting Game

Content provided by J.J. Schenkelberg, CFA, CLS Senior Portfolio Manager I think we have all experienced this at some point: We go to the store, proceed to the checkout counter, and face the daunting choice of which line to enter. We pick one and stand there waiting in uncertainty. Every movement begs the question: Should… Continue reading Interest Rate Hike – The Waiting Game

The Risks in Income Investing

Concept of earning balance of a businessman

Content provided by Rusty Vanneman, CFA, CLS Chief Investment Officer In recent years, given how low interest rates have been, there has been an increased appetite for income-oriented portfolios. CLS, in fact, has several income-oriented strategies, including a new one to be launched in June. We believe these actively risk-managed portfolios make sense for the… Continue reading The Risks in Income Investing

Cascade

Content provided by Scott Kubie, CFA, CLS Chief Strategist The second quarter is off to an interesting start. International market performance continues to trend above domestic markets, similar to the first quarter. And, within international, emerging markets have outperformed so far. How does CLS take advantage of these opportunities? In many portfolios, CLS uses a cascading… Continue reading Cascade

How to Prepare Income Strategies for the Fed’s Rate Hike

Content provided by Josh Jenkins, CLS Investment Research Analyst With the Federal Reserve moving closer to the seemingly inevitable liftoff in interest rates, one thing on the mind of many investors is, “How will this affect my portfolio?” This is particularly true for those invested in an income-oriented strategy. Generally speaking, all income strategies carry… Continue reading How to Prepare Income Strategies for the Fed’s Rate Hike

Are Commodities…Dead?

Content provided by Grant Engelbart, CFA – CLS Portfolio Manager Not surprisingly, commodities have been one of the worst performing asset classes over the past several years.  Headline grabbers such as oil and gold have lost their respective luster, and others have followed suit.  A combination of factors has driven prices lower, most recently the… Continue reading Are Commodities…Dead?

Spring Cleaning Isn’t Just for Your Closet

Content provided by Sierra Morris-Fuchs, CLS Investment Research Analyst As the weather warms up, and I finally start to feel alive again after a long, cold winter, I always get motivated to do a thorough house cleaning. Hibernation can create some messy habits – dust collected on shelves, layers of dirt on windows, old clothes… Continue reading Spring Cleaning Isn’t Just for Your Closet

Don’t Confuse Brains With a Bull Market

Content provided by Paula Wieck, CLS Manager of Investment Research/Portfolio Manager I had the opportunity to speak to several advisors last week about their businesses.  A couple of these conversations resonated with me, particularly because this subject has come up frequently. One advisor’s client was contemplating whether or not to relieve him of his services… Continue reading Don’t Confuse Brains With a Bull Market

The Risks and Rewards of International Investing

Content provided by Kostya Etus, CLS Associate Portfolio Manager At CLS, we have been focusing a lot on international investing recently. One reason is that we see a significant potential for outperformance within international equities when compared to the domestic U.S. market. This potential stems from many factors, including: Valuations are more attractive in international… Continue reading The Risks and Rewards of International Investing

Chasing Disappointment

Content provided by Josh Jenkins, CLS Associate Portfolio Manager Last month, Portfolio Manager Grant Engelbart contributed to this blog, an entry titled Emotional Volatility. In it, Engelbart advocated a pragmatic approach to managing ones wealth. One that ignores the endless volume of market noise and the visceral and often illogical decisions it promotes.  Instead, he… Continue reading Chasing Disappointment