Agentic AI—The Killer Use Case for Blockchain and Crypto
To capture the AI growth opportunity today, most investors buy shares of AI-aligned companies and related verticals. But will the same playbook work for agentic AI? Sandy Kaul, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation explains.
The Long View: Not a Straight Line
ClearBridge Investments: Although markets often pause to digest after large gains, history suggests these episodes usually prove fleeting, meaning major indexes could move higher in the second half of 2026.
The Conviction Gap: What Most Advisor Portfolios Are Missing at the Core
Most advisor portfolios mistake active weight for manager conviction. Franklin Templeton's five-factor core equity suite fixes that, starting with a proprietary conviction signal that extracts what managers actually believe.
The World Didn’t Break: 2026 Mid-Year Investment Outlook
Midway through 2026, Franklin Templeton Institute’s Global Investment Outlook framework remains a valuable lens—but the landscape has shifted.
Global Investment Outlook—Resilience
A look at the resilient global economy, evolving market opportunities, and key risks shaping the investment outlook.
The Warsh Fed—Return to Orthodoxy
Kevin Warsh came out as a hawk during his first press conference as Federal Reserve (Fed) chair. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai believes that he may be the most hawkish chair since Paul Volcker. Warsh stressed that the Fed can and will bring inflation back to 2%, and signaled his preference for a smaller balance sheet and no forward guidance—a welcome return to more orthodox monetary policy.
Buyable pullbacks. Be prepared.
by Chris Galipeau, Senior Market Strategist, Franklin Templeton Institute Macro Our forecast for real gross domestic product (GDP) growth…
Inflation fears?
by Michael Browne, Global Investment Strategist, Franklin Templeton Investments When the US-Iran war started, we highlighted that second-round…
Why US and international dividend strategies are working again
As markets broaden beyond mega-cap technology stocks, dividend-oriented strategies are attracting renewed attention. Learn more from Dina Ting.
Fundamental backdrop strong. Watch for pullbacks.
by Chris Galipeau, Senior Market Strategist, Franklin Templeton Institute Macro Our real gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for…
From the US Market Desk: Now what?
by Chris Galipeau, Senior Market Strategist, Franklin Templeton Institute Macro Our real gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate…
The “Scarlet K”—A misleading consumption divergence story
The US outlook has been branded with a new scarlet letter: a K. The prevailing narrative describes a “K-shaped” economy overly reliant on consumption by high-income households. According to Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai, that narrative is quite misleading. She notes that incomes have been rising broadly across the population and argues that the economy looks more resilient than the headlines suggest.
Stephen Dover: Are markets complacent?
When we asked some investors to rank their greatest economic fears, soaring oil prices topped the list. Yet equity markets have rebounded sharply and asset prices have snapped back, even as economic forecasters warn of mounting risks ahead. Are markets dangerously complacent or do resilient fundamentals support their optimism?
Macro Moments Weekly: Shock, suspense and interest rates
by Michael Browne, Global Investment Strategist, Franklin Templeton Institute There are two kinds of shocks in films. The…
On My Mind: Geopolitical shock meets structural trends
The Iran conflict is the headline—but deglobalization and innovation are the story. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income CIO Sonal Desai shares her perspective on the two structural shifts that she believes matter most right now: retrenchment in globalization and accelerating innovation. Both point to higher yields—plus more volatility ahead.
MIchael Browne: Spring is in the air (and in markets)
by Michael Browne, Global Investment Strategist, Franklin Templeton Institute Seven weeks into the US-Israel-Iran war and little has…