111 S. Wacker Dr
Suite 3950
Chicago, IL 60606
Astor Investment Management
- Phone: 925-930-2882
- Fax: 925-930-2885
111 S. Wacker Dr
Suite 3950
Chicago, IL 60606
By Bryan Novak
Fed minutes from last month’s meeting were released on Wednesday (8/16). After a...
John Eckstein joined Astor in 2011 and serves as Chief Investment Officer. As Vice Chairman of the firm?s investment committee, he is responsible for international global macro strategies. In 1995, Mr. Eckstein founded Cornerstone Quantitative Investment Group, a global macro hedge fund with peak assets of $600 million. At Cornerstone, Mr. Eckstein was responsible for all aspects of the firm?s operations including fixed income, currency, commodity and equity portfolios. Prior to Cornerstone, Mr. Eckstein was a researcher for Luck Trading Company, a commodity trading adviser. Mr. Eckstein is a co-author of Commodity Investing (John Wiley & Sons, 2008) and is a frequent speaker at industry events. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Brown University and a Masters in Public Administration (International Economic Policy) from Columbia University.
Nicholas Porter joined Astor in 2018 and supports the Investment Committee and Chief Investment Officer as a Research Associate. Nick began his career as an Associate at KPMG and was most recently a Senior Analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s International Affairs and Strategy department, where he was responsible for the Bank’s international engagement and global economic and political analysis. He holds a MPA in International Economic Policy from Columbia University and a BA in International Relations from SUNY Geneseo.
Mr. Bryan Novak joined Astor in 2002 and currently serves as Senior Managing Director. Mr. Novak has been involved in the research and development of the trading and investment strategies at the firm. He was instrumental in the launch of the firm’s mutual fund family in 2009 and has served as part of the portfolio management team since 2004. Prior to Astor, Mr. Novak was an equity options trader for Second City Trading, LLC at the CBOE in Chicago. Mr. Novak appears regularly in numerous financial media outlets and is often a panelist at ETF industry events. Mr. Novak earned his Bachelor of Science in Financial Management from the Ohio State University. Mr. Novak is a CAIA charterholder.
Mr. Robert Stein began his career as a project analyst for the Federal Reserve under former Chairman Paul Volcker and later went on to hold senior trading or portfolio management positions with large money-center Wall Street banks. Returning to Chicago in 1994, he formed Astor Financial, Inc., the parent company of Astor Asset Management LLC (“AAM”) a registered investment adviser and the predecessor firm to Astor Investment Management, LLC. Knight Capital Group (NYSE: KCG) acquired AAM in 2010 and Mr. Stein was appointed to the Executive Committee reporting to the Board of Directors and directly to the Chairman. In a management restructuring, Mr. Stein re-organized AAM as an independent firm (Astor Investment Management LLC). Mr. Stein is the co-creator of the Astor Economic Index® (AEI), the firm’s proprietary method used to create what we believe is a smoother, more accurate “live read” on the economy. He is also the author of several books, including Inside Greenspan’s Briefcase (McGraw-Hill) and Finding the Bull inside the Bear (John Wiley & Sons). Mr. Stein is the founder of the i-CARE Foundation, an organization that provides an annual grant to Northwestern Hospital to enhance patient experience and is Vice Chairman of the Board of Advisors to GlenKirk, an organization that supports people with special needs. Mr. Stein holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan.
By Rob Stein
As the markets hit that magical percent drawdown number, market experts tell us we...
Meet a Strategist is a weekly feature where Evan Harp talks to different strategists about how...
By Rob Stein,
The markets have had a challenging time the past few weeks, quickly retracing back...
Many of our clients are concerned about a rise in inflation. This note takes a hard look at...
The Astor Economic Index moderated slightly in September after several months of steading...
We believe return enhancements and diversification are the main reasons investors seek out...
With COVID-19 still spreading throughout the United States, the Astor Economic Index continued...
As we have said before in this blog, as goes the pandemic, so goes the U.S. economy. The Astor...
2020 will be one of those years that will be marked on historical timelines like ‘87, ‘01, and ‘...
It’s hard to imagine in the year that has been 2020, after the deep collapse in risk assets in...
This year has had no shortage of twists and turns and the third quarter of 2020 has been no...
The Astor Economic Indexhas had a substantial improvement since the previous nonfarm payrolls...
The Astor Economic Index moved upwards in November, its first month-end improvement in half a...
Our proprietary Astor Economic Indexwas slightly changed last month and remains consistent with...
In 2018, US-listed fixed income ETFs added a combined $97 billion in new assets, accounting for...
To say 2018 was an interesting year for fixed income investors is probably an understatement....
Factors have entered the mainstream of investing. Factor investing was once limited to academic...
Our proprietary Astor Economic Index is still showing strong growth in the US economy, though the...
Although the impossibility of predicting future recessions seems almost axiomatic, a growing...
Our proprietary Astor Economic Index is still showing strong growth in the US economy. The index...
As the current recovery ages and trade tensions garner headlines, a money manager’s thoughts turn...
Our proprietary Astor Economic Index is still showing strong growth in the US economy. The index...
To start 2018, many surveys, when asked the question “where will investors look to increase...
Artificial intelligence has arrived in the ETF space. On Oct. 18, 2017, the Artificial...
There has been so much talk lately about “smart beta,” it’s easy for investors to be confused.
If the global financial crisis was a play, the Fed is getting ready to begin the last act. This...
For decades, investors have been interested in factors—attributes such as value, momentum or...
One of the problems in this business is picking the few relevant pieces of information out of the...
In asset allocation and investing, there is a natural tension between reacting and overreacting.
As we look ahead to what 2017 may hold, I’m predicting the end of what I call “the great...
All investment advisers have an asset target in mind. In order to reach that finish line, you...
The latest market surge, as the Dow powers toward 20,000, is being called the “Trump stock market...
“Active” may not be the approach that immediately comes to mind in income investing. But as the...
For my last economic update of the year, I will review where we are today and try to read the...
There has been so much talk lately about “smart beta,” it’s easy for investors to be confused....
As the investing public, from institutions to individuals, moves away from stock picking and...
Over the past few years, financial advisors and their clients, in search of low-cost ways to...
Fed-watching. Oil prices. The latest geopolitical headline. All sources of anxiety, some of them...
Effective September 1, 2016, the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) will undergo its...
Economic policy is the topic on the table, and with the China and U.S. economies more intertwined...
The last two years have done little to instill investor confidence, and the past nine months have...
Value is an engrained investment methodology loyally followed by many with varied methods of...
Important Risk Disclosure
Investing involves risk including the risk of loss of principal.
ETFs trade like stocks, are subject to investment risk, fluctuate in market value and may trade at prices above or below the ETFs net asset value. Brokerage commissions and ETF expenses will reduce returns.
This communication is not intended to be an investment recommendation or investment advice and should not be relied upon as such.
The S&P 500® Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC or its affiliates (“S&P DJI”) and have been licensed for use by State Street Global Advisors. S&P®, SPDR®, S&P 500®,US 500 and the 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC (“S&P”); Dow Jones® is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC (“Dow Jones”) and has been licensed for use by S&P Dow Jones Indices; and these trademarks have been licensed for use by S&P DJI and sublicensed for certain purposes by State Street Global Advisors. The fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by S&P DJI, Dow Jones, S&P, their respective affiliates, and none of such parties make any representation regarding the advisability of investing in such product(s) nor do they have any liability for any errors, omissions, or interruptions of these indices.
Distributor: ALPS Distributors, Inc., member FINRA, is distributor for SPDR® S&P 500®, SPDR® S&P MidCap 400® and SPDR® Dow Jones Industrial Average, all unit investment trusts. ALPS Distributors, Inc. is not affiliated with State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC.
State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC, member FINRA, SIPC, One Iron Street, Boston, MA 02210.
Before investing, consider the funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus or summary prospectus, which contains this and other information, call 1.866.787.2257 or visit www.ssga.com. Read it carefully.
None of State Street Corporation, State Street Global Advisors, SSGA Funds Management, Inc. or any of their affiliates or subsidiaries (“State Street”) are affiliated with Vettafi ETF Strategist. However, State Street may enter into, and may have entered into, certain marketing arrangements with Vettafi ETF Strategist, including arrangements relating to SPDR® ETFs. State Street does not endorse Vettafi ETF Strategist and disclaims any liability associated with Vettafi ETF Strategist.
The whole or any part of this work may not be reproduced, copied or transmitted or any of its contents disclosed to third parties without SSGA’s express written consent.
© 2023 State Street Corporation - All Rights Reserved.
Not FDIC Insured – No Bank Guarantee – May Lose Value
A long-running debate in asset allocation circles is how much of a portfolio an investor should...
In a digital age where information moves in milliseconds and millions of participants can transact...
