The long-term secular growth story for biotechnology stocks is compelling, in our opinion. Over the next several decades, an aging global population will support massive demand for cures and treatments for a variety of diseases, especially those associated with old age. At the same time, innovation is flourishing for biotechnology companies racing to meet these needs, supported by new technologies such as artificial intelligence/machine learning, which enables researchers to analyze massive amounts of data more efficiently, or cloud-based infrastructure, which provides virtually unlimited computing power. 

Over much of the past few years, biotechnology stocks have struggled with a hangover from COVID-19, higher costs of capital, and political pressure related to drug pricing. For the three-year period ending on June 30, 2024, the First Trust NYSE® Arca® Biotechnology Index Fund (FBT) produced a cumulative loss of 10.9%, compared to a 33.1% gain for the S&P 500® Index. However, over the past several weeks, momentum has begun to shift in favor of the biotechnology industry. Since June 30, 2024, FBT has posted an 11.1% total return, compared to a 6.8% gain for the Nasdaq Biotechnology™ Index and a 2.7% gain for the S&P 500® Index (as of 8/20/24). We discuss a few potential catalysts that may continue to benefit biotechnology stocks in the months ahead, in our opinion, including falling interest rates, increased mergers and acquisitions (“M&A”) activity, and rising demand for defensive sectors if the economy slows.

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Bob Stein joins the podcast to discusses how the nomination of Kamala Harris will impact the upcoming presidential election, his thoughts on each candidate’s choice of running mate, and how elections results may impact the economy in the years ahead.

The presidential race for the White House has already had tremendous drama and we are still 96 days from Election Day! Who knows what may transpire next? Many investors attempt to tactically “play” the expected result of the presidential election prior to the actual vote. 

In our view, positioning portfolios based on a candidate’s policy views and an expectation of that candidate’s victory are misguided. Even if you get the right candidate, the portfolio positioning may be incorrect or superseded by other concerns.

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• Net inflows for US-listed ETFs totaled $122.0 billion in July, bringing total ETF assets under management to $9.25 trillion.
  
  
• Equity ETFs had net inflows totaling $74.4 billion in July, bringing trailing 12-months (TTM) net inflows to $582.7 billion. Active equity ETFs accounted for $13.3 billion in net inflows in July, compared to $61.1 billion in net inflows for passive equity ETFs.
  Total AUM in actively managed equity ETFs was $437.1 billion, accounting for 5.9% of all equity ETF assets ($7.36 trillion), as of 7/31/24.
  
  
• Fixed income ETFs had net inflows totaling $39.2 billion in July, bringing TTM net inflows to $244.4 billion. Active fixed income ETFs accounted for $11.2 billion in net inflows in July, compared to $28.1 billion in net inflows for passive fixed income ETFs. Total AUM in actively managed fixed income ETFs were $231.1 billion, accounting for 13.9% of all fixed income ETF assets ($1.66 trillion), as of 7/31/24.
  
  
• Commodities ETFs had net inflows totaling $2.6 billion in July, bringing TTM net outflows to $8.2 billion. Precious metals ETFs (+$2.7 billion) was the strongest commodity sub-category in July.

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Demand for electricity is likely to soar over the next decade as a convergence of new, power-hungry innovations reach critical mass, which may require massive investments to modernize and expand power grids around the world. While growing electricity demand from electric vehicles (“EVs”) has emerged over the past several years, the scale of potential demand from other new innovations, especially artificial intelligence (“AI”) and cryptocurrency, is often overlooked. In our view, the modernization of power grids around the globe represents an underappreciated potential secular growth opportunity for investors. We discuss these trends, highlighting the First Trust NASDAQ® Clean Edge® Smart Grid Infrastructure Index Fund (GRID).

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In this episode, Ryan talks to Chris Jeppesen, Senior Vice President Chief of Advisory Practices at First Trust about what sets financial professionals apart from their peers.

In this episode, Ryan looks back at the first half of 2024, highlighting some of the key insights provided by guests of the podcast—including Bob Stein, Brian Wesbury, Jim Murchie, and Richard Bernstein.  He also reveals plans for the second half of the year.

• Net inflows for US-listed ETFs totaled $83.4 billion in June, bringing total ETF assets under management to $9.06 trillion.
  
  
• Equity ETFs had net inflows totaling $56.3 billion in June, bringing trailing 12-months (TTM) net inflows to $556.3 billion. Active equity ETFs accounted for $11.0 billion in net inflows in June, compared to $45.3 billion in net inflows for passive equity ETFs. Total AUM in actively managed equity ETFs was $418.1 billion, accounting for 5.8% of all equity ETF assets ($7.24 trillion), as of 6/30/24.
  
  
• Fixed income ETFs had net inflows totaling $25.2 billion in June, bringing TTM net inflows to $222.3 billion. Active fixed income ETFs accounted for $6.9 billion in net inflows in June, compared to $18.3 billion in net inflows for passive fixed income ETFs. Total AUM in actively managed fixed income ETFs were $219.2 billion, accounting for 13.6% of all fixed income ETF assets ($1.61 trillion), as of 6/30/24.
  
  
• Commodities ETFs had net outflows totaling $0.1 billion in June, bringing TTM net outflows to $12.4 billion. Precious metals ETFs (+$0.2 billion) was the strongest commodity subcategory in June.

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Remember the axiom “buy the rumor, sell the news.” It refers to entering a trade before there is clear evidence supporting future gains and exiting that trade just as everyone hears the good news and decides to get in on the action. In the market this year , led by a narrow group of stocks with momentum and Artificial Intelligence (AI) exposure, the axiom seems to be “buy the rumor, buy the news, buy the dip, buy the rip because it is going to go even higher. It’s different this time.”

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Jeff Chang, President and Co-founder of Vest Financial, discusses the growth of buffered investments over the past few years.