Rob Arnott says cheesy copy cats are hurting smart beta investing
Plus: Gold is investing in monetary chaos, corporate bonds fly off the shelves, and more fuzzy employment math
- Rob Arnott, a pioneer of smart-beta investing, says the growing popularity of the investing style has gotten out of hand. Perhaps he longs for the good old days when almost nobody believed in smart beta. “There are a lot of dumb ideas masquerading as smart beta.”
- Jim Grant says investing in gold works because the global financial system is off its rocker. This is unfortunately what happens when central banks lose control of monetary policy.
- Corporate bond issuance shoots off the charts in early August. What’s up with that? The wave of new debt issuance is in line with a sharp tightening of credit spreads.
- Somehow in this economy that has never really gotten off the ground since the financial crisis, layoff levels are at a two-year low. Don’t tell the economists, but this has to do with the fact there are fewer people left to layoff. The economic recovery shows signs of aging.
Learn more about reprints and licensing for this article.