SMLE News and Press, Xtrackers S&P SmallCap 600 ESG ETF From 10/13/22

Summary U.S. small caps have had their worst start to a year ever through September. The valuation on the Russell 2000 Index (last 12 months price/earnings (P/E), excluding loss-making companies) is at a 22% discount to its median historical level and only 8% above its March 2020 ...

Summary Unprecedented losses to equity and bond markets are resulting in exceptional volatility and stress to financial markets. Foreign central banks are beginning to intervene in markets to maintain stability including the Bank of England and Bank of Japan. The Fed has exten...

Summary Financial markets are highly liquid and far from breaking down. Since a strong economy is going to be tough to come by these days, high real rates confirm that money is very tight. The interest cost of our federal debt is less than 3% of GDP, and that's relatively low ...

Summary Will these concerns about the UK bond market cause central banks to consider a rate-hike pivot? Why the Fed will likely stay the course, even if 'material risks' emerge. What happens if governments can't service their debts? The Bank of England has in...

Summary According to the establishment survey of employment, released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, total employment increased month-over-month by 263,000 jobs. The employment data is possibly the only data that looks good right now, and that's not much comfort, sin...

Summary Are October rallies just bear traps in disguise? When will we see a turn in inflation? How to navigate bear markets. September was a brutal month for equities. Could markets strengthen this fall or are rallies just bear traps in disguise? Kim Parlee t...

Summary The outlook for the market and the economy that we laid out in our last quarterly note remains unchanged. A dancing bear is still a bear, and we think lowering portfolio beta exposure below benchmark is key to navigating this recessionary bear market successfully. We t...

Summary AIER’s Leading Indicators Index fell to a new cycle low of 25 in September from 29 in August. The latest result is the fourth consecutive month below the neutral 50 threshold and, excluding the lockdown recession in 2020, matches the lowest level since the recovery ...

Summary The Producer Price Index for September rose by 0.4%, doubling the 0.2% projected increase, according to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. On an annual basis, PPI rose 8.5%. This was down slightly from 8.7% in August, but still indicates significant price pre...

Summary The current investing environment has been especially challenging due to the fact most investment vehicles have generated a negative return this year. At current equity market levels and given the extent of the three-quarter decline this year, historical market performance...