Strong equity markets and declining interest rates as a consensus coalesced around the beginning of a Federal Reserve rate-cutting cycle.

While too early to declare victory, the historically elusive “soft landing” is becoming the base case for investors.

Everyone uses insurance, but few people realize how attractive these companies can be from an investment standpoint. The team at Prospector Partners has a collective amount of 100+ years following the insurance industry.

The first quarter of 2024 was marked by a continued pushing out of expectations for when, and by

how much, the Federal Reserve would cut rates, as inflation remained above the Fed’s 2% target and

the U.S. economy remained resilient.

We entered 2023 in the midst of very restrictive monetary policy, a deeply inverted yield curve, significantly higher interest rates and the continued drying up of consumers’ post-academic excess savings

In this short question and answer session, our portfolio managers take on the questions that prospective clients ask us most often during the due diligence process. 

In the third quarter, the market seemed to grapple with a “higher for longer” interest rate environment. The benchmark 10-year Treasury rose significantly during the quarter (from 3.81% to 4.57%), causing unease for investors, and contributing to the market’s decline during the period.

During a conversation with portfolio managers Kevin O’Brien, CFA, Steve Labbe, CFA, and Jay Kish, CFA, CPA, these three experts shared their observations on several hot-button issues, including:

Much of the second quarter was dominated by all things artificial intelligence (AI), after a new
version of OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, was released in March. The sophistication and capabilities
of this version of so-called “generative AI” caused an uproar within the tech world and beyond.

The first quarter of 2023 was akin to a play with three distinct acts. However, unlike a traditional play in which the first act introduces a problem, the second act a complication, and a resolution in the final act, the problem in this saga (rapidly rising interest rates) pre-dates the beginning of the story. And in the end, the audience is left unsure of a resolution.  (Hey, we didn’t say it was a good play).