(Washington)

Jay Clayton came out punching for the SEC’s new Best Interest Rule this week. The rule has faced a lot of criticism from all sides, but was finally approved internally. Now, Clayton is combatting critics. In particular, the SEC chairman is defending the harshest criticism of the rule—that it does not define “best interest”. Clayton argues that using a principles-based framework, which relies on a contextual definition of best interest depending on the situation in question, is a well-trod regulatory path and one that is superior to creating a definition for every scenario.

FINSUM: We don’t love this rule, but we agree with Clayton on this point. Having a highly defined rule leaves it more vulnerable to loopholes. With the current contextual structure, one has to worry whether their behavior could be considered “best interest” depending on an amorphous standard. It seems like a better way to keep bad actors in line.

(New York)

Are you looking for a good dividend stock? Well, we have one for you. How about a stock that has risen 27% this year yet still has a 4% dividend yield and a very solid business? If that sounds good, take a look at Prudential Financial. The company is an asset manager and insurance provider, and has solid growth and financials and seeks to be financially prudent. “We believe in a very consistent and regular dividend that will be aligned with our earnings growth, says the CFO. The company has expected earnings growth of 8% this year.

FINSUM: Prudential is a pretty sleepy name, but there is nothing boring about a 4% dividend combined with earnings growth and market-beating price appreciation.

(Houston)

We know, we know, you don’t want to hear about oil. No one seems interested in the all-important commodity at the moment, but that is exactly why you might want to pay attention. Oil stocks have had a terrible decade—down 10% while the S&P 500 rose almost 300%, hence the derision they face from investors. Prices are so low that oil now composes just 4.5% of the S&P 500, very near to the lowest ever (in 1999). The big question investors need to be asking themselves is “is this peak pessimism”?

FINSUM: We think oil stocks offer some value right now, but what will be the catalyst to make them rise? A big economic boom seems unlikely at present. Oil missed this cycle and it is still oversupplied. We would stay away.

(Washington)

Jerome Powell’s performance could not have been much better. He gave exactly what the people wanted—dovishness. In fact, if anything, he was almost comically dovish, disregarding the very strong jobs performance last month. No matter though, investors are pleased as it now looks nearly 100% likely the Fed will cut rates later this month, and seems as though they will stay on a cutting path for some time. The Fed’s shift in policy appears to affirm that they are currently considering the condition of the global economy as a major threat to the US.

FINSUM: The Fed is in a pretty easy spot if you think about it. Inflation is very low, markets want cuts, and the global economy is looking weak. Simple solution with no real downside—cut rates.

(New York)

There is a big new risk to stocks to worry about, says Goldman Sachs. Actually, it is a not a new risk, it is an old one that investors have not been thinking about. The risk? Pay. The bank says that rising pay pressure from workers could hurt companies at all levels and eat into margins. The labor market is incredibly tight, which puts upward pressure on pay and downward pressure on corporate margins. Wage growth is already at its highest rate since 2007, and companies may feel the sting. According to Goldman, “While S&P 500 profit margins are at historical highs, survey data indicates a record level of corporate concern regarding labor costs”.

FINSUM: Many analysts have been predicting an earnings recession and this is one of the factors that could exacerbate it.

(New York)

Investors likely already know that low cost index funds tend to greatly outperform high fee actively managed funds (to the tune of 1.5% or more annually). That comes as no surprise. However, what was surprising to us is that in fixed income, the tables are greatly turned. While passive funds do have a slight edge over active ones on average (0.18% per year), in many cases high fee actively managed fixed income funds outperform passive ones. This holds true over long time periods, including ten-year horizons.

FINSUM: This is an interesting finding and one that makes intuitive sense. The bond market is vast, hard to access, and full of intricacies. That kind of environment lends itself to specialism in a way that large cap equities does not, and the performance metrics show it.

(Frankfurt)

American investors seem almost conditioned to ignore the rest of the world. Over the last decade that has been a pretty good plan as the US recovery and markets have had a Teflon coating that resisted global downturns. However, rates market in Europe is sending some grave warning signals. Try this on for size: several European junk bonds are now trading at negative yields. Yes, you read that correctly, investors are paying for the privilege of holding junk in Europe.

FINSUM: This is not some ultra-safe Germany sovereign bond that has negative yields. We are talking run-of-the-mill EU junk bonds having negative yields. That is a big warning sign.

(Washington)

Donald Trump did something many might not have expected when he met Xi Jinping recently at the G20 conference: he told him he would dial down the criticism of China regarding the demonstrations in Hong Kong in order to get Beijing back to the negotiating table. The offer apparently echoed a previous one he had made to Xi in the week leading up to the conference. The plan worked and China has agreed to resume trade talks.

FINSUM: While many may disagree with the concession to China, we think this shows one thing very clearly: Trump does not want to let the trade war derail the US economy or markets and will likely do whatever is in his power to keep them afloat.

(New York)

The market may be way up this year, but there are still some great values out there. The average P/E ratio of the S&P 500 is 16.7, yet 67 of the companies in it trade at below 10, triple the amount of five years ago. Here are a handful of blue chips that are very cheap, but have strong market positions, decent profitability, and nice growth positions: Delta Airlines, Bank of America, Kroger, homebuilder Lennar, and BorgWarner, a maker of car components.

FINSUM: These seem like great picks, but they also appear to be the victims of the long-term decline in value investing. Investors keep thinking value investing will bounce back, but it hasn’t.

(New York)

Greedy is not usually a word associated with anything positive, but in this instance it seems fair. What we mean is that the market’s performance through the first half of this year has been so good, that investors need to double down on stocks. That likely sounds counterintuitive, but history tells us otherwise. When stocks have a good first half (and they surely have), then they are 60% more likely to finish the year strongly as well. On that basis it would make sense for investors to put more money into equities or at least don’t take any chips off the table.

FINSUM: We like this logic. While we do have some bearish reservations about the market right now, we think Trump is going to make sure to not do anything to derail stocks, as doing so might derail his re-election campaign.