2016 review: Global politics, DOL rule and volatility

As 2016 draws to a close, we list below the five most-read posts of the year. These represent some of the issues most important to our readers.

It likely comes as no surprise that our top two posts were reflective of global markets’ interest and reaction to political elections in this 2016 review. The other theme you’ll notice is the importance of a clear investing strategy, particularly in times of volatility and low returns.

  1. U.S. elections 2016: Trump wins White House. Markets react.
    The morning after the 2016 U.S. elections results were announced, we shared our perspective on the market reaction and what we expected in the near- and medium-term. Readers from around the globe were keen to read this piece, and it recorded the most views of any post ever on our blog.
  2. The Brexit impact
    While the impact of the Brexit vote is far from over, this post—written just a day after the vote—provides a clear view of the potential risks and opportunities many investors are likely to face in 2017.
  1. U.S. DOL fiduciary rule
    This has been a hot topic for many across our industry this year, as the rule is expected to come into effect in April 2017. Our team has looked at this topic throughout the year from several viewpoints: global trends, European rules, institutional investors and practice management.

  2. Passive investing: Are you buying high?As investing trends come and go, one of the latest has been focusing on passive investing. But is this really the right trend for many investors? What are the potential costs? Many of you obviously wanted to know, as this was such a popular post – not just in the U.S. but also in Europe and beyond.
  3. Investing behavior: Beware the herd
    As many in our industry are well aware, it can be easy for investors to “follow the herd” and make investments based on what they see others doing or as a reaction to a single event. When investors do this, without checking such moves against their investment objectives, it can introduce unintended risks or costs to a portfolio. Here again (as is true throughout the year), we believe that a thoughtful, multi-asset investment strategy with an end goal in mind may be helpful for any investor.

Russell Investments wishes all of our readers a happy and healthy new year. We look forward to continuing to share the insights and views of our leaders with you in 2017.