Darden Magazine: Hard Work and Dedication Carry UVA Darden’s Loutskina to Success in Classroom, Research

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It may be hard for some people to remember back to 2006 when the housing boom was still in full swing. But University of Virginia Darden School of BusinessProfessor Elena Loutskina certainly won’t forget it in a hurry. In hindsight, that year now looks pivotal to her career, although at the time what happened probably resembled a bad-news-good-news situation. Read more here.

University of Virginia

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Korn Ferry: Hitting the Panic Button on Brexit

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The collapse that had been widely feared has not happened, and economic indicators are chugging along fine. But Britain’s industry chiefs are still fretting over Brexit—and in a big very way. Read more here.

Forbes: How Trump's Move On Iran Helps Saudi Arabia

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Bad news for some, is good news for others.

A case in point is the end of American participation in the Iran nuclear deal.

It is certainly bad news for Iran, but it could be quite the opposite for Saudi Arabia. Read more here.

President Trump & Vice President Pence 

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WSJ: What Is A 'Sudden Stop' In the Markets?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

People who invest in emerging economies should be aware that sometimes market sentiment can take a sharp turn for the worse very quickly.

It’s what economists such as Daniel Lacalle of London-based money-management firm Tressis call a sudden stop. Read more here.

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WSJ: Some Active Managers Smile at the Index-Fund Robots

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Since the financial crisis there has been a consistent mantra around investing: Low-cost index funds makes the most sense because they are generally cheaper and perform better over long periods than mutual funds managed by stock pickers.

But now, some active managers are taking a new tack in making the case for their approach: They say the popularity of indexing, along with other changes in the market, is making it easier for them to find mispriced securities, resulting in a more fertile environment for stock picking than they’ve had in years. Read more here.

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WSJ: Bull Markets Die of Old Age. But Is That Conventional Wisdom Wrong?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Is anxiety over how long this bull market will last overdone? Possibly, according to new research that suggests the life expectancy of bull markets not only doesn’t decline with age—it may actually grow.

“Once a bull market is five years old, its remaining life expectancy doesn’t diminish. If anything, it increases,” financial research firm HCWE & Co. said in a recent report. Read more here.

Nathaniel Ritmeyer, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Korn Ferry: Wages and Benefits are Rising; So Is CEO Anxiety

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It’s seemingly great news, American wages and benefit levels are growing at their fastest levels in years. But while U.S. workers are cheering, the speed of the growth is forcing some leaders into facing some difficult questions about the employment costs. 

New government data showed that the costs of U.S. salaries and benefits surged in first three months of 2018. Wages grew at an annualized 2.7% clip in the first three months of 2018, the fastest increase since the Great Recession. Meanwhile, benefits costs jumped at 2.6% annualized pace, the quickest since 2015. But many executives remember that it was not even a decade ago that they were doing everything to make sure their company survived following the financial crisis, says Bob Wesselkamper, global leader rewards and benefits solutions for Korn Ferry. “They are still acutely aware that raising your cost base isn’t wise,” he says. Read more here.

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