PSCU News and Press, PowerShares S&P SmallCap Utilities Portfolio From 05/13/22

Northwest Natural Holding's latest results show the overall stability that we have come to expect from a natural gas utility. The YOY net income decline was caused by a one-off event and is not indicative of any problems at the company. The company continues to grow its customer b...

We're seeing declining asset prices from bond to equities, and in some cases, real assets because of higher inflation. We are seeing early signs that inflation is starting to moderate. Equity market is currently pricing in the probability of a mild recession. For further det...

Healthcare, Staples, and Utilities continue to outperform as selling intensifies in the growth style. Investor positioning is still light in the space – even after a year of alpha. While absolute valuations have turned somewhat pricey, the defensive supersector shows decent...

American States Water is rapidly increasing its water rate base. Although AWR's Q1 results were lower than the previous year, this has to do with the timing of payments and the outcome of some settlement cases. The company aims to get more involved in the military contract field. ...

Typically, we look at net new highs as a way to confirm moves in the broader market. At the high last Wednesday, over 90% of S&P 500’s new highs came from defensive sectors. In other words, defensives have been a notable pocket of strength recently. For further de...

The broader equity categories turned in negative results in Q1. U.S. large-cap stocks, as measured by the S&P 500 Index, held up the best at a decline of 4.6%. Bonds performed worse than many of the equity categories, despite typically being viewed as a safe haven investment. In t...

A low dividend yield for utilities stocks suggests low returns for the remainder of the decade. The dividend yield on utilities is now lower than the yields on long-term Treasuries, and this has historically suggested low utility returns relative to bonds. The stock market as a wh...

Does the yield curve inversion cause a recession or does it just provide a signal? Is the inversion only about expected future monetary policy? Do other factors also influence the shape of the curve, and if so, can we disentangle the various factors? There is a lot that we don’...

Inflation expectations have kept the Federal Reserve center stage as they commenced their interest rate rising cycle in March. The war in Ukraine and Omicron’s spread in China impacted inflation and supply chains differently, but both delay supply chain normalization. Regar...

Stock markets fell in the first quarter as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine destabilized the growth outlook, amplified concerns about rising interest rates and unleashed geopolitical risks. While the conflict has created many uncertainties, we believe the impact of persistent infla...