Reweighting Further Outside the US, AIA Group CIO Says
AIA Group CIO Mark Konyn says the "overall view is the US economy will slow this year." His firm is reweighting "further outside the US, taking opportunities in other markets," but also generally slightly underweight equities. Konyn speaks on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
24 minutes ago
- Forbes
Five Ways Medicaid Supports Main Streets Across America
Business district of Marquette, Michigan Gerald Bernard - In May, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes significant cuts to Medicaid. Specifically, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation would lead to more than $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid, and nearly 11 million people losing coverage, including nearly 8 million people who rely on Medicaid. The bulk of these reductions would come through work requirements. A common misconception about Medicaid is that it is simply a standalone program that provides health insurance to Americans living below or near the federal poverty level. In reality, communities and small businesses rely on the stability it brings. Here are five ways Medicaid supports Main Streets across America. 1. Employee Health and Productivity Many small businesses have tight budgets and struggle to provide basic benefits, much less comprehensive health insurance to all employees. This is especially true in underserved communities, with part-time or low-wage workers being impacted the most. Medicaid provides coverage to employees who may not qualify for employer-sponsored insurance. This ensures that workers have access to preventive care, which reduces absenteeism and improves productivity. It also lowers the burden of medical debt among workers, giving them better financial stability. 2. Expanded Labor Pool Medicaid's healthcare safety net allows more people to enter or remain in the workforce. This also allows more entrepreneurs to take the risk of starting a business, knowing their families are covered. In addition, this support also increases the number of individuals they can hire in their communities. 3. Reduced Hiring and Training Costs Access to quality healthcare coverage is generally a factor every American weighs when making a career decision. However, when workers have consistent healthcare through Medicaid, they are less likely to leave jobs for health insurance elsewhere. In turn, small businesses can save money on recruiting and training new staff and focus on growth instead of turnover-related challenges. 4. Empowered Entrepreneurs For self-employed individuals or those starting a business, Medicaid provides crucial health coverage during the startup phase when income is uncertain. Perhaps more importantly, it also empowers them to pursue their dream of entrepreneurship instead of staying in a job just for the health insurance. 5. Stronger Local Economies When people don't have to spend all of their income on healthcare, they have more money to spend at local businesses. These Medicaid dollars also support healthcare providers, including rural clinics and pharmacies, that serve as small businesses themselves. In addition, Medicaid also indirectly benefits businesses by creating jobs in areas that include retail, construction, and landscaping. It is estimated that the proposed Medicaid cuts could lead to nearly 450,000 job losses in 2026 with roughly half coming in healthcare and the rest in other business sectors. The strength of the economy in many ways boils down to the health of its workforce and entrepreneurs. Medicaid supports workforce stability, entrepreneurship, economic mobility, and small business growth. In a future column, I will explore the impact of these proposed cuts on Main Streets and their communities.
Skift
25 minutes ago
- Skift
New Report: How Travel Marketers Are Using AI
The travel business has unparalleled access to customer data, and AI offers ample avenues to apply it and improve the traveler experience. By creating insights and knowledge, including who to talk to, where to reach them, and what to say to them, AI offers travel marketers unique opportunities to help their brands make better decisions that can drive business growth at scale. This sponsored content was created in collaboration with a Skift partner. The travel industry stands apart in terms of the vast amounts of customer data it has at its fingertips. Travel's customer journey is uniquely personal, and the complexity of planning and booking yields rich customer profiles unparalleled in other industries and sectors. This outstanding opportunity comes with an equally daunting challenge. The amount of data available to travel marketers is much more than any person or team of people can make sense of on their own. Enter AI. Applications of AI technology give travel marketers the ability to create insights and knowledge, including who to talk to, where to reach them, and what to say to them. This offers opportunities to help their brands make better decisions that can drive business growth at scale. According to a 2024 Skift survey, nearly 90% of travel marketing leaders said that AI will be important in driving overall business value for their organization in the next three years. However, just 64% said they had already deployed AI solutions for marketing and advertising. This gap indicates that many in the industry willingly acknowledge the value of AI, but actual implementation often lags behind interest. What's holding them back? A new Epsilon Pulse research report analyzed motivations, investments, and barriers to AI across the retail, financial services, travel, restaurant, and consumer packaged goods (CPG) industries. Its insights help travel executives in all departments better understand how AI is revolutionizing the customer experience — and what they can do now to leverage its benefits to improve engagement and drive more revenue. AI Strategies for Travel Marketing: Key Trends and Highlights Travel Lags in Some Aspects of AI Strategy Like marketers in other industries, a vast majority of travel leaders are already invested in using AI for marketing. However, travel had the highest prevalence of non-users (11%), while all other sectors checked out between 4% and 6%. Furthermore, the travel industry was the least likely to find AI capabilities 'extremely valuable' for their business. Overall, 46% of marketers gave this response, compared to about 38% among travel leaders. Breaking the Cycle of Reactivity According to travel marketers, 'cost reduction' was the most common reason their organizations were motivated to adopt AI. By comparison, leaders in all other industries were most likely to say their organizations were primarily motivated by 'improving the customer experience' or 'increasing operational efficiency.' In addition, the travel industry's number one barrier to AI adoption was 'fear of change.' The landscape is changing around them, and if travel marketers aren't able to persuade organizational leaders how AI can benefit them through proactive customer engagement, they'll continue to lag behind. Top AI Applications for Travel Marketing Looking around at their counterparts, 33% of travel marketers believe that their colleagues and competitors in the industry are using AI effectively to offer personalized recommendations for customers, the most common response in the survey. When asked about specific marketing challenges that they believe AI can solve, 61% of travel marketers said that customer journey mapping was the most useful, followed distantly by predictive maintenance (39%). Additional Research and Data in This Report How marketers are using AI in travel and beyond AI's impact on market performance What's driving brands to invest in AI How much budget they're allocating to AI tools and technologies How to measure success Closing the Gap Between Theory and Practice This report explores the contrast between what travel marketers observe in their organizations — i.e., hesitancy to adopt due to cost and logistical concerns — and the potential value they see in improving the customer experience by moving forward with sophisticated AI strategies. The road to productive use of AI is a marathon, not a sprint, and there are widely varying degrees of usefulness and utility depending on the company and its goals. However, all travel marketers need to get off the starting blocks and benchmark against their competitors if they expect to stay in the race. This content was created collaboratively by Epsilon and Skift's branded content studio, SkiftX.
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
US Treasuries Win Some Respite as Key 30-Year Auction Looms
(Bloomberg) -- US Treasuries were trimming overnight gains, with modest weakness in longer dated debt as investors awaited a Thursday auction of 30-year securities that will offer a fresh test of demand for the beleaguered securities. Next Stop: Rancho Cucamonga! Where Public Transit Systems Are Bouncing Back Around the World Trump Said He Fired the National Portrait Gallery Director. She's Still There. US Housing Agency Vulnerable to Fraud After DOGE Cuts, Documents Warn Senator Calls for Closing Troubled ICE Detention Facility in New Mexico An early rally that mirrored moves in European bonds lost steam ahead of the Wall Street open for equity trading. Treasuries were clinging to gains on maturities out to the 10-year. That left US government bonds still nursing the bulk of sharp losses from Friday's stronger-than-expected US jobs report that saw traders dial back Federal Reserve interest rate cut expectations. A quieter day for economic data Monday is shifting attention to US and China trade talks in London, and events later this week, including consumer inflation on Wednesday and the debt sale the following day. While scheduled bond auctions are typically routine affairs, Thursday's $22 billion offering will be particularly scrutinized given the recent volatility in long-dated global bonds. Yields have soared in recent weeks amid growing concern over major governments' spiraling debt and deficits. 'The 30 year is a kind of tail risk type of rate,' said Jeffrey Klingelhofer, portfolio manager at Aristotle Pacific Capital LLC in Newport Beach. 'Concerns over deficit spending' matter far more for the long end than, 'the seven to 10 year and certainly the shorter part of the curve,' he said. The US 30-year yield has been marching higher since early April, hitting a peak of 5.15% on May 22, the highest since 2023. It was up around two basis points at 4.99%, from a session low of 4.94% on Monday, while the 10-year yield hovered around 4.51%. 'This is going to be key and really set the tone into June as a whole,' said Lauren van Biljon, fixed income portfolio manager at Allspring Global Investments, on Bloomberg TV, about the 30-year Treasury auction. 'We know how much anxiety there is around longer-term financing.' Mike Riddell, a portfolio manager at Fidelity International, said he's entered a steepener position, which profits from long-dated bonds underperforming shorter ones. Like PGIM Fixed Income, he said the forces driving ultra-long bonds have shifted away from monetary policy. 'It's no longer about policy rates, it's all about the fiscal story and demand supply dynamics,' Riddell said. It's 'really concerning' that there 'doesn't appear to be any change in policy on the back of these market moves,' he added. The US will also hold auctions for three and 10-year notes on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Bond traders must also navigate the May CPI report, with economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecasting the year-on-year rate ticking up from 2.3% to 2.5%. 'Signs of inflation pressure could knock risk sentiment, and it may even limit dollar upside, especially if it threatens the US's 30-year Treasury auction on Thursday,' Kathleen Brooks, research director at XTB wrote in a note. --With assistance from Alice Atkins and Michael Mackenzie. (Updates yields, adds quote in fourth paragraph.) The SEC Pinned Its Hack on a Few Hapless Day Traders. The Full Story Is Far More Troubling Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert Wants to Donate His Billions—and Walk Again America Cast Itself as the World's Moral Leader. Not Anymore Is Elon Musk's Political Capital Spent? What Does Musk-Trump Split Mean for a 'Big, Beautiful Bill'? ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
