Schwab Asset Management
The latest research and outlooks in the ProAllocate library
- Macro
Schwab Market Talk - November 2026
Schwab's Liz Ann Sonders argues the usual post-midterm rally may not repeat amid Fed uncertainty and AI-driven volatility. Chris Ferrarone and Cooper Howard favor diversified equities and selective bonds, as Mike Townsend expects divided government to delay debt and Social Security fixes.
- Private Markets
What Is a Company Actually Worth? Valuing Public vs. Private Companies
The piece contrasts continuous public-market pricing with episodic private-company valuations set at funding rounds, arguing improving secondary-market data is making private markets more transparent and accessible to individual investors. It concludes private markets offer early access to high-growth firms but demand patience given illiquidity, concentration and failure risk.
- Fixed Income
Building More Intentional Bond ETF Allocations
Charles Schwab Asset Management's Riz Hussain argues advisors should use active fixed income ETFs to manage duration, credit selection and liquidity as the Fed's rate-hiking cycle and the Agg's rising Treasury concentration raise implementation risks. A repeatable framework—mapping exposures, costs and tax impacts—can help target client-specific bond outcomes beyond core index products.
- Fixed Income
Is Fixed Income Doing its Job for Your Clients?
Schwab Asset Management argues that today's complex bond market—sticky inflation, tight spreads, elevated yields—makes actively managed separately managed accounts better suited than passive exposure for tailoring duration, credit and tax considerations to individual client needs.
- Macro
Schwab Market Talk - September 2026
Schwab strategists argue rising Treasury yields, a hawkish Fed under Chair Warsh, and concentrated AI-driven earnings pose risks to equities, while credit spreads and international/EM equities remain broadly supported by strong fundamentals. Gold and Bitcoin are highlighted as low-correlation debasement-trade hedges amid persistent fiscal deficits.
- Private Markets
Understanding the Private Market and How It Differs from the Public Market
This advisor guide outlines how private-market investments—private equity, venture capital, private credit and real assets—differ from public markets in access, liquidity, valuation, fees and transparency. It argues advisors need working fluency in these mechanics to properly evaluate suitability and portfolio fit for clients.
- Macro
RIA Washington Watch: Market momentum meets political uncertainty
A quarterly update on US regulatory and political developments affecting RIAs, covering the SEC's e-delivery and semiannual reporting proposals, the launch of Trump Accounts, Fed leadership changes under Kevin Warsh, and midterm election dynamics.
- Fixed Income
Schwab Market Talk - August 2026
Schwab strategists argue the Fed is in wait-and-see mode with rising odds of a rate hike amid sticky supply-driven inflation. They favour below-benchmark duration and quality bonds, and warn that record equity concentration in AI-linked tech poses the market's key risk.
- Fixed Income
Positioning Client Portfolios Amid Interest Rate Uncertainty
With interest rate expectations fluid amid geopolitical conflict and firmer inflation, the article argues short-duration fixed income offers attractive yields, favorable volatility-adjusted returns, and less duration risk than longer-duration strategies. It urges advisors to reposition core bond allocations toward the front end of the curve.