Articles from Russell Investments

Russell Investments today announced that it will match the U.S. government’s $1,000 contribution made to newly established Trump Accounts for the eligible children of U.S. employees, reinforcing the firm’s long-standing commitment to financial security and long-term wealth building.

Russell Investments today announced the completion of a $1.225B strategic financing with Apollo (NYSE: APO) managed funds and affiliates associated with its hybrid and credit strategies (the “Apollo Funds”). The solution provides the firm with long-term capital and enhanced balance sheet flexibility to support continued execution of its growth strategy.

Russell Investments announced today that it has launched five ETFs that give U.S. investors the ability to leverage its open-architecture, multi-manager portfolios in an active ETF. The initial lineup of funds incorporates the following active strategies: U.S. small cap equity, international developed markets equity, global equity, emerging markets equity, and global infrastructure.

Russell Investments announced today that Shelly Heier has joined the firm as Global Head of Institutional Client Service in a newly created role. Most recently, Heier served as President and Senior Consultant at Verus Investments. In her new position, she will focus on enhancing the delivery of Russell Investments’ holistic investment solutions and implementation services. Heier will lead a dedicated team of client chief investment officers, account executives, and client-service associates to strengthen and expand the firm’s international institutional relationships.

Russell Investments has expanded its suite of Personalized Managed Accounts (PMA) with the launch of eight fixed income and multi-asset separately managed accounts (SMA) to serve diverse investment needs. The firm’s PMA suite now features four portfolios of fixed income securities packaged as Municipal ladders and Treasury ladders with staggered investment time horizons. In addition, the suite includes four multi-asset options of equity and fixed income securities either packaged in direct indexing or a mix of active and direct indexing allocations.

Russell Investments’ strategists believe soft-landing optimism can deliver more near-term market gains but the risks of a sharper economic slowdown later in the year are elevated.

Following two years of gains, the average funded status for the largest pension plans declined slightly in 2023, according to Russell Investments’ annual analysis of 21 publicly listed U.S. corporations that have historically held more than $20 billion in pension liabilities. Even so, the average funded status for each corporation over the past three years was closer to the 100% threshold than any prior year since 2007. Dubbed the $20 billion club, these large plans represent about 40% of all pension and liability assets of U.S. listed corporations.

Russell Investments’ strategists expect elevated recession risks for 2024 and headwinds for equity markets, but a more positive environment for government bonds.

Russell Investments has released its 2023 Prudent Pension Funding Report, which reveals most (97%) corporate pension plans can achieve full funding without a significant draw on corporate cash, based on the respective firms’ latest disclosures as well as market and interest rate movement so far in 2023. This finding increased from 86% in last year’s report.

Russell Investments Canada Limited announced today that effective November 1, 2023, the management fees charged to each of Russell Investments Money Market Pool, Russell Investments Real Assets, Russell Investments Global Infrastructure Pool and Russell Investment Global Infrastructure Class in respect of some or all of its series of units or shares will be reduced to the new rates described in the chart below:

Russell Investments has released results from its ninth-annual ESG Manager Survey, which offers valuable insights into the evolving landscape of ESG practices within the investment management industry. Results from this year’s global survey show employment trends reflect rising attention on sustainable investing, as momentum continues toward net-zero initiatives and reporting on ESG metrics and diversity increases. The survey featured responses from 169 asset managers that represent $20 trillion in assets under management.

Russell Investments is leveraging its multi-manager investment, risk and implementation platform in a new strategic partnership with Venerable Holdings, Inc. (“Venerable”). Venerable today announced that Venerable Investment Advisers, LLC (“Venerable Advisers”), its new wholly-owned subsidiary, intends to engage Russell Investments to provide sub-advisory and administration services to funds in its newly formed Venerable Variable Insurance Trust (“VVIT”).

Russell Investments’ strategists expect a mild recession for the U.S. economy in 2024, while market expectations for the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) to navigate a soft-landing provide equities with support for the next few months.

Russell Investments’ strategists continue to expect a recession for the slowly slowing U.S. economy, though they anticipate a delay until 2024 as investor enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and resilient economic growth continue to support stocks in the near term.

The average global funded status for the largest pension plans jumped to 96.9% in 2022, reaching the highest level since 2007, according to Russell Investments’ annual analysis of 20 publicly listed U.S. corporations with more than $20 billion in pension liabilities. Dubbed the $20 billion club, these large plans, which represent nearly 40% of all pension and liability assets of U.S. listed corporations, also experienced the largest asset losses since 2008 amid the Global Financial Crisis and the largest decrease in liabilities since 2009 as discount rates hit the highest level since 2010. The analysis also reveals that funding deficits in dollar terms decreased dramatically from $65 billion at year’s end 2021 to $30 billion at year’s end 2022.

Russell Investments announced today that Zach Buchwald has been selected to serve as Chief Executive Officer and as Chairman of the firm’s board of directors. Based in the firm’s global headquarters in Seattle, Buchwald will take the helm effective May 1 as Russell Investments’ eighth CEO in 87 years. He will succeed Michelle Seitz, who departed the firm late last year.

Russell Investments’ dedicated non-profit practice was selected by the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation (MCCF) to manage its $52 million portfolio. Assets have fully transitioned.

Russell Investments’ strategists believe a recession seems likely in 2023 and equity markets may struggle, but a global economic recovery should be on the horizon by year-end.

Portfolio carbon intensity measure is largely underreported outside of listed equities and corporate bonds due to data limitations and non-standardized reporting frameworks, making it a challenge for investment firms to meet stricter environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) regulations, according to Russell Investments’ eighth-annual ESG Manager Survey of 236 asset managers globally.

Russell Investments’ strategists believe that eventually slowing core inflation should allow the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) to go on hold in early 2023, and that oversold equity-market sentiment means a lot of bad news is already priced in.

Russell Investments today announced that Michelle Seitz plans to step down as Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, concluding five successful years of leadership and growth. Ms. Seitz will transition by year-end and will work with Russell Investments’ Board of Directors and its leadership team on a seamless process. The company has hired a leading recruitment firm to assist with the search for a successor, prioritizing growth and delivering on the firm’s strategy and vision.

As recession fears and central-bank tightening drive market volatility at mid-year 2022, Russell Investments’ strategists believe U.S. core inflation has likely peaked and markets should stabilize and possibly recover over the second half of the year.

Russell Investments has expanded its suite of Personalized Managed Accounts (PMA) with the launch of two additional direct-indexed options that deliver customizable exposure to international and core equity. The firm’s PMA suite now features eight separately managed accounts (SMA) that blend actively managed equity SMAs with direct-indexed SMAs. These solutions leverage technology to help investors achieve growth and optimal after-tax outcomes.

The Baird SMA Network has added Russell Investments’ full suite of Personalized Managed Accounts (PMAs) to its advisory platform. This partnership will give Baird’s private wealth management advisors and their clients access to Russell Investments’ outcome-oriented PMAs, which offer a combination of customizable active and direct indexed investment solutions.

Russell Investments Canada Limited (R­ussell Investments) has released its seventh-annual Value of an Advisor study, which aims to quantify an advisor’s broadening role to holistically serve their clients. The firm’s 2022 analysis found the value added to a client’s portfolio by a full-service Canadian advisor who delivers comprehensive wealth management is 3.85%.

Russell Investments has hired Samantha Foster as managing director of non-profit OCIO solutions. Foster joined the firm from the University of Southern California (USC) endowment, where she spent 10 years as Managing Director in the Investment Office.

Russell Investments’ strategists still expect global markets to generate moderately above-trend growth for 2022, despite an array of short-term risks and longer-term issues erupting from Russia’s war in Ukraine. The team believes growth will support equities over bonds and cash amid continued market volatility due to the significant uncertainty created by the conflict.

Russell Investments’ strategists forecast 2022 as a year of moderation for economic growth, inflation and investment returns, and they believe the global economy is poised for another year of growth. Overall, the team’s 2022 Global Market Outlook maintains a moderately positive medium-term view on global equities.

Asset managers are placing greater emphasis on active ownership of their investments and increasingly engaging on ESG issues with the underlying companies in their portfolios, according to a newly released survey conducted by Russell Investments. Ninety percent of respondents said they cover ESG in meetings with the senior management of companies that they invest in, up from 80% in the 2018 survey. Overall, 35% of respondents report they always cover ESG in their meetings, up from 21% in 2018.

Russell Investments’ strategists expect the pandemic-recovery trade to resume in Q4 as inflation subsides, COVID-19 infection rates decline, and central bank tapering turns out to not equal tightening. Although the strategists expect the U.S. economy will likely sustain above-trend growth into 2022, they believe the easiest gains are probably in the rear-view mirror as the recovery phase of the business cycle matures.

Russell Investments’ strategists see the global reopening on track at mid-year as COVID-19 vaccination rates climb, and the team believes potential risks such as inflation or a hawkish U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) won’t derail it. Overall, the team maintains a moderately positive medium-term view on global equities in their mid-year global market outlook.

Russell Investments’ latest quarterly survey of fixed income managers found about 70% expect inflation for the next 12 months to exceed 2%, surging from 38% who expressed that view in the Q1 survey. The 72 bond and currency managers who responded to the Q2 2021 survey also expressed less confidence that the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) will deliver its target inflation rate. About 50% of respondents expect the Fed to deliver its inflation promise, declining about 10 percentage points from the previous survey.

Russell Investments, a leading global investment solutions firm, today announced that Kate El-Hillow has joined as Global Chief Investment Officer, and Kevin Klingert has been hired as President. El-Hillow, who held several senior investment leadership roles at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, brings vast expertise in portfolio management, trading, and outsourced CIO and multi-asset investment solutions. Klingert comes to Russell Investments with extensive industry experience, with an emphasis on managing global operations and distribution. He has held leadership roles at Morgan Stanley Investment Management and BlackRock. Both El-Hillow and Klingert will serve on Russell Investments’ executive committee and report to Chairman and CEO Michelle Seitz.

Russell Investments, a leading outsourced CIO provider and global investment solutions firm, today announced a new commitment to achieve a standard of net-zero carbon emissions for its investment portfolios globally. This commitment builds on the firm’s well-established goal of constructing portfolios that generate long-term sustainable value while recognizing the increasing impact of climate change as an investment risk. Russell Investments, which has $326.9 billion in assets under management and $2.5 trillion in assets under advisement, has pledged to manage carbon-neutral portfolios by 2050.