Full House: Hold, Fold or All In?
07/01/2013
The Great Recession left in its wake job losses, plummeting house prices and wealth destruction. Many homeowners decided to fold ‘em and, heeding the advice of The Gambler, run from their homes and underwater mortgages.
Master Limited Partnerships – Providing Energy & Income to Insurance Company Portfolios
05/01/2013
MLPs were established by Congress in their current form to promote U.S. energy independence and much needed investment in energy infrastructure with the passing of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 and the Revenue Act of 1987. These acts developed the outline of the pass-through partnership and defined the requirements for eligibility, which stipulates that a business is required to generate at least 90% of its income from “qualified” sources such as crude oil, natural gas, petroleum products, coal, timber and other minerals.
Corporate Credit in 2013 – Where to Now?
04/01/2013
Global Corporate Credit generated healthy absolute returns over 2009-12, with meaningful excess performance in 3 of 4 years. Currently, yields are hovering near record lows and spreads are tight. Looking forward, Conning believes corporate credit will outperform other conventional fixed income investment options, although we expect less robust returns than have recently been experienced. In this Viewpoint, Conning will identify risks and opportunities at the current stage of the corporate credit cycle, and highlight signposts that will aid investors in making decisions regarding portfolio positioning ahead of future market changes.
The U.S. Banking Sector – Poised to Perform Four Years After a Near-Death Experience?
10/01/2012
In 2008-2010, the financial landscape was littered with failures and near-failures, regulatory-assisted mergers, illiquidity, rumors of the ”next” to fall, finger-pointing, and in retrospect, the Near-Death Experience of the United States banking industry.
“Movin’ on Up...” Emerging Markets’ Rising Importance in the Global Economy
06/01/2012
While inclusion of some countries as part of Emerging Markets (EM) such as Israel and South Korea is debated, and there is no specific definition of an emerging market, the majority of the EM countries appear to fall in World Bank’s “upper middle income” and “lower middle income” categories, which are derived from GDP per capita as a metric.
Convertible Securities: Attractive Asset Class for an Uncertain Economic Environment
02/01/2012
Convertible securities are bonds or preferred stock issued by corporations that are convertible into shares of an underlying common stock. The convertible’s price behavior, relative to changes in the underlying stock, looks much like a call option, with the bond value providing a floor if the stock price declines.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Employee Spotlights
Conning celebrates the achievements, contributions and inspiration of Asian-Americans in our communities and around the world. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we’re highlighting three of our Asian-American employees.
Hispanic Heritage Month Employee Spotlights
Conning celebrates the achievements, contributions and inspiration of Hispanic-Americans in our communities and around the world. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re highlighting three of our Hispanic-American employees.