U.S. presidential election outlook

As the 2020 election season heats up, it is important to understand the investment implications of a potential change in government versus the status quo.

COVID-19 isn’t going away

We think the most detrimental economic effects of the virus are unlikely to return, though the human cost may become more painful yet in the U.S.

The U.S.-China relationship in a changing global economy

An inevitable blame game between the U.S. and China has followed COVID-19, but the crisis has really just extended the “trust deficit” that has been steadily building between the two countries in recent years.

The great disconnect between the economy and the stock market

The bounce occurred and it had nothing to do with investment fundamentals.

Thematic investing and the Post-COVID world

In the third in our series of virtual mini-forums, we discussed thematic investing post-COVID in one session and the outlook for oil in another.

2020 Government debt levels have surpassed previous high

The debt-to-GDP ratio of Advanced Economies is unprecedented – 2020 debt levels have surpassed the previous high seen during World War Two.

Buy now, pay later: Stimulus and the U.S. deficit

Blink and you missed it

An investor finally opening up their account statement on June 8 would be forgiven for assuming it has been a quiet year in the markets.

The biggest threat to a quick recovery is a second wave of the virus

The economic discussion has firmly shifted from an assessment of the damage inflicted by Covid-19 related lockdowns, to questions surrounding the speed and strength of the recovery following reopening.

U.S. policy: Pandemic puts the heat on China while tech regulation simmers

We focus on four areas of U.S. policy crucial to our near-term economic outlook: fiscal stimulus, U.S.-China relations, regulation of technology companies and the 2020 U.S. elections.

Retirement income planning in the “new normal”

Episode 104: Retirement policy, interest rates and market volatility have made retirement planning more challenging for clients and advisors alike.

Central banks picking up the bill

In April we saw further confirmation of the devastating impact of the coronavirus on both the real and financial economy.

S&P 500 volatile trading days

The S&P 500® has experienced a three percent move in over a quarter of trading days so far in 2020.

Analyzing the opportunities for active management

While the longer-term effects of the virus are uncertain, we expect economic weakness and market volatility to continue presenting opportunities for active management.

The enemy of a major economic slump is debt

Sorry, this world is closed for business.

Recent weekly unemployment claims surpassed a decade of net job creation

Unemployment claims over the past five weeks (26.4M) have surpassed total net job creation in the U.S. (22.2M) over the past decade.

Coaching clients through uncertainty

Episode 102: In an effort to support your client conversations during these times, we recorded this special episode with Steve Sanduski full of actionable ideas to help both you and your clients thrive during and coming out of this period.

Virus starts with v but ends with u-shaped

We have seen second-quarter annualized GDP estimates ranging from -5% to -30%, but the unprecedented combination of a pandemic and the modern global economy makes this very difficult to call.

Corporate credit spreads widened aggressively in March 2020

Credit markets have seen extreme repricing over the past month as a result of the market stress caused by coronavirus and its impact to the economy.

BMO Expert Perspectives: COVID-19 Economic and Social Impacts

BMO Financial Group CEO Darryl White was joined by a diverse group of experts for a discussion on the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congress comes through in a big way

After many days of intense negotiations, The Trump Administration and the Senate reached agreement on an extremely large coronavirus stimulus package, totaling roughly $2 trillion.

ESG implications of the COVID-19 pandemic

We are still in the early stages of understanding the impact that COVID-19 will have. However, some important implications are already emerging.

Low volatility investing

Episode 101: Chris Jenks returns to the show to discuss the ins and outs of low volatility investing and its potential impact on portfolios during times of market volatility.

Macro outlook in times of the coronavirus: This is not a 2008 song

For investors, stomach-churning market drops and increasing recession fear in recent weeks due to COVID-19 are reviving memories of the 2008 financial crisis.