Prudential Financial, Inc. has named Patrick Hynes as president of Prudential Advisors, where he will oversee its retail and advice division. The division includes 2,800 financial advisors serving over 3.5 million American families.
Hynes, currently head of sales for Prudential Advisors, brings over 25 years of leadership experience in financial services. Previously, he served as president of Pruco Securities, strengthening standards and controls while enhancing the advisor experience.
Hynes’ appointment is effective March 31, reporting to Caroline Feeny, CEO of Prudential’s U.S. Businesses and incoming CEO of Prudential’s Global Retirement and Insurance businesses.
“With his proven ability to care for talent and build high-performing teams, Pat is uniquely positioned to lead Prudential Advisors,” said Feeney.
Additionally, Brad Hearn, the current president of Prudential Advisors, has been named president and COO-elect of Prudential Holdings of Japan, effective March 31.
Rothschild & Co’s Global Advisory business has announced that Jonathan Kaye will join as the Global Co-Head of Business Services for North America. In this new role, Kaye will be instrumental in growing the business Services team and expanding Rothschild & Co’s presence in North America.
“I greatly look forward to working with the global team as well as leveraging my own experience and relationships for the continued growth of Rothschild & Co’s North America and Business Services teams,” said Kaye.
Kayes brings extensive experience, having previously founded and led the Business Services franchise at Moelis & Company, making it a market leader over a decade. He’s advised over a hundred transactions across various sectors and worked with large-cap and middle-market private equity.
“His longstanding, trusted relationships and deep industry knowledge across many verticals and end markets will be key differentiators as we continue to build our Business Service team,” said Lee LeBrun, Partner and Head of Global Advisory, North America.
Morgan Stanley announced that Arturo Karakowsky, Managing Director of the Morgan Stanley Wealth Management office in Houston, has been named a member of the Chairman’s Club, an elite group composed of the firm’s top financial advisors.
“The appointment is a recognition of creativity and excellence in providing a wide variety of investment products and wealth management services to its clients,” the company said in a statement.
A native of Houston, Texas, Karakowsky joined Morgan Stanley in 2007. He holds a degree in Financial Management from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and has a CFP (Certified Financial Planner) certification from Rice University. He received the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors recognition in 2024 and was named to Forbes America’s Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors in 2022.
“I am very proud to announce that I have been named a member of the prestigious Chairman’s Club of Morgan Stanley, an elite group of the firm’s financial advisors,” Karakowsky wrote on his personal LinkedIn profile. “Thank you for your continued trust in our team. It is a privilege to help you achieve your financial goals,” he added.
Photo courtesyKeith Medlock, Vice President Senior ETF Investment Strategist
State Street Global Advisors will present the first U.S.-listed ETF, SPY, at the V Funds Society Investment Summit in Houston to highlight its democratic, profitable, and liquid positioning.
During the event, which will take place on March 6 at the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria,Keith Medlock, Vice President Senior ETF Investment Strategist will present the strategy that “offers a number of potential benefits for investors seeking core US equity exposure, including record liquidity” and more than 30 years of proven experience, according to the firm’s statement.
Backed by the S&P 500® Index, the strategy “opened the door to markets that were previously inaccessible to most investors before 1993.”
Keith Medlock
He is a Senior Strategist at State Street Global Advisors Global SPDR Business. He is an expert in ETFs, investment management and research, and portfolio construction. In his role, he conducts economic and market studies to generate strategic and tactical investment opportunities across different asset classes, with a particular focus on U.S. equities, sectors, and industries. He collaborates with SSGA’s distribution, research, and portfolio management teams.
Prior to joining SSGA in 2013, he was a Business Development Executive with Northern Trust’sFlexShares Exchange Traded Funds. He has worked as a Divisional Managed Accounts Consultant at UBS, a Trust Investment Officer at Bradford Trust Company, and an Economics instructor at the University of Arkansas.
Medlock holds a degree in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Arkansas and has the CMT, CAIA®, CIMA®, and AIF® certifications. He also holds FINRA Series 7 and 66 licenses.
For four decades, State Street Global Advisors has served governments, institutions, and financial advisors worldwide, positioning itself as the fourth-largest asset manager in the world with $4.72 trillion1 (trillions in English), according to the firm’s statement.
1This figure is presented as of December 31, 2024 and includes ETF AUM of $1,577.74 billion USD of which approximately $82.19 billion USD in gold assets with respect to SPDR products for which State Street Global Advisors Funds Distributors, LLC (SSGA FD) acts solely as the marketing agent. SSGA FD and State Street Global Advisors are affiliated. Please note all AUM is unaudited.
The Trump administration is once again boosting the crypto market with a new initiative. Over the weekend, the U.S. president announced the creation of a “Strategic Cryptocurrency Reserve,” which will include digital assets such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Solana, and Cardano. These new steps align with Donald Trump’s goal of making the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.”
As a result of this announcement, the price of some cryptocurrencies surged: Bitcoin reached $93,000, while Ripple and Cardano saw significant gains, and Ethereum rose by 11%.
Without a doubt, the initiative announced by Trump has revitalized the entire industry, as crypto market sentiment had hit rock bottom. “The Crypto Fear and Greed Index had dropped from 55 (neutral) to 21 (extreme fear) in less than a week. Last Friday’s Bybit hack shook investor confidence, compounded by growing uncertainty over tariffs on Mexico and Canada, which will indeed take effect, adding to market anxiety,” acknowledged Simon Peters, an analyst at eToro, just three days ago.
This negative sentiment was also evident in Bitcoin’s price, which was holding at the $92,000 support level. The cryptocurrency has fallen 20% from its all-time high of $109,300. According to experts, a 35% correction could bring it down to around $70,000.
The SEC Clearly Shifts Its Stance on Cryptocurrencies
Crypto industry experts highlight that these initiatives reflect a shift in Trump‘s stance on cryptocurrencies, from initial skepticism in 2019 to active support today, with the declared goal of making the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.” A clear example of this shift is that Trump is set to host the first Cryptocurrency Summit at the White House next Friday—the first such event organized by a U.S. president.
Another example of this change in approach involves Coinbase. Last week, the SEC announced that it had agreed to dismiss its enforcement case against the company. “If incoming SEC Chairman Paul Atkins approves the decision, the dismissal will mark the end of the ‘regulation by enforcement’ approach led by former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler,” explains Frank Dowing, Director of Analysis for Next Generation Internet at ARK.
According to Dowing, during Gensler’s tenure—from April 2021 to January 2025—the SEC filed numerous cases against Coinbase and its competitors, alleging that digital asset exchanges and staking businesses violated U.S. securities laws. “Despite good-faith efforts to comply with ambiguous securities regulations applied to digital assets, cases against these companies continued. Now, a crypto-friendly administration has taken the lead. Several bills on stablecoins and digital asset market structure are expected to move quickly through the Republican-controlled Congress, providing regulatory clarity for companies in the sector. In our view, the shift toward common-sense legislation and regulation will accelerate the adoption of public blockchains, benefiting investment strategies with significant exposure to digital assets,” Dowing notes.
Crypto ETFs: An Unstoppable Success
A clear sign of the favorable environment for crypto assets is the surge in passive investment vehicles. According to State Street projections, growing demand for crypto ETFs will soon surpass assets in precious metal ETFs in North America, making them the third-largest asset class in the ETF industry—behind only stocks and bonds.
Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs were launched in the U.S. just last year, yet they have already accumulated $136 billion in assets, despite the recent market correction. State Street also forecasts that the SEC will approve more crypto-specific ETFs this year, with Litecoin, XRP, and Solana being the most likely to receive spot ETF approval, given that multiple U.S. ETF providers have already filed applications for these products.
This week has made it clear that we are in a new multipolar world, marked by a geopolitical and multilateral relations realignment. In this scenario, populism and politics generate increasing noise, which the market, for its part, strives to ignore. According to investment firms, this context calls for investors to rethink their roadmaps. What are they proposing?
For Michael Strobaek, Global CIO, and Nannette Hechler-Fayd’herbe, Head of Investment Strategy, Sustainability, and Research, and EMEA CIO at Lombard Odier, “a geopolitical realignment could significantly reshape the global economy and financial markets, leading to more balanced risk-adjusted returns across all asset classes and highlighting the benefits of broad diversification for asset allocators.”
According to these experts, investors are navigating a new post-Cold War multipolar era, where risk-adjusted returns are converging across major asset classes. “The global liberal democratic order seems to be taking a back seat to short-term national and economic interests, led by the new U.S. administration. Asset allocators must manage risk diligently and diversify broadly, leveraging alternative assets whenever possible,” stress experts at Lombard Odier.
For Gianluca Ungari, Head of Hybrid Portfolio Management at Quantitative Investments (Vontobel), and Sven Schubert, Head of Macro Research at Quantitative Investments (Vontobel), markets are moving quickly in response to this new environment. “Despite the initial impact of the tariff announcement on Canada, Mexico, and China—followed by a 25% increase on steel and aluminum imports starting March 12—the markets have absorbed the news relatively well. The direction of market movements in early February reflects the economic effects of the U.S. tariff hikes,” they note.
February now ends with the idea of reciprocal tariffs and ongoing negotiations between the U.S. and Russia to end the war in Ukraine. Because of this, Ungari and Schubert believe investors must stay vigilant. “While we maintain a constructive market outlook and a long position in equities, hedging strategies could be crucial for performance this year. So far, our tail hedges, such as the Japanese yen and gold, have performed well. Meanwhile, European equities have outperformed in recent weeks, driven by expectations of fiscal stimulus after the German elections and Trump’s decision to delay tariffs on Canada and Mexico,” they explain.
Enguerrand Artaz, strategist and fund manager at La Financière de l’Échiquier (LFDE), acknowledges that uncertainty has surged to levels even higher than during the trade tensions of 2019. In his view, equities should rotate towards more defensive sectors that are less exposed to global trade, such as utilities and real estate. “This scenario is not necessarily negative for European small caps, which are, on average, less exposed to international trade and more sensitive to falling interest rates,” he notes.
Additionally, Artaz believes that in a diversified allocation, it would be advisable to increase the proportion of fixed-income assets. “This is a logical move, as a tariff hike is both deflationary and recessionary for affected countries. An escalation could prompt the ECB to cut rates even further. While interest rates have shown resilience so far, if uncertainty persists, it could affect investor sentiment.” Artaz concludes that “for markets, an unpleasant but defined scenario—such as a fixed and final tariff increase—is often better than ambiguity fueled by political volatility.”
Market Behavior
According to Axel Botte, Head of Market Strategy at Ostrum AM (Natixis IM), financial markets appear isolated from the erratic communications coming from Donald Trump. “The flattening of the yield curve has led to a generalized tightening of spreads. Despite the Fed’s stance of maintaining the status quo and the restrictive policy of the Bank of Japan, monetary easing remains the predominant global trend. However, the sharp rise in gold prices sends a lone note of concern,” says Botte.
This global instability is also reflected in oil prices. In fact, the price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil reached $72.80 per barrel on February 19, 2025, closing at $72.05 per barrel. “The increase in WTI crude prices is due to a combination of geopolitical, climatic, and supply-demand factors. Uncertainty surrounding production in Russia and the United States, along with the possibility of OPEC maintaining supply restrictions, has created a favorable environment for price escalation,” explains Antonio Di Giacomo, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com.
Additionally, in his view, investors have responded to these events with increased financial speculation in oil. “Market volatility has led to a higher volume of futures contract trading, contributing to price fluctuations. In this sense, traders are closely watching for any signs of changes in production policies from major exporting countries,” says Di Giacomo.
Another asset reflecting this context is gold. “Its price will remain high throughout 2025 amid increased central bank purchases, growing concerns over the harmful effects of U.S. tariffs, and demand for newly introduced gold ETFs. However, it could weaken if the interest rate differential between the U.S. and the rest of the world remains wide, which could keep the dollar strong, exerting downward pressure on gold. That said, this is not our base-case scenario,” adds Peter Smith, Senior International Equity Strategist at Federated Hermes.
BBVA Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) has added Sarah Swammy to its team as Managing Director of BBVA Securities Inc. (BSI) with the goal of further developing its broker-dealer infrastructure and strategically expanding its institutional business platform, the bank announced in a statement.
“We are very proud to have Sarah join us in expanding our business in the U.S.,” said Regina Gil Hernández, Head of BBVA CIB USA. “She will be key in expanding BSI’s broker-dealer infrastructure and product capabilities to better serve the business needs of our institutional clients,” she added.
Swammy has more than 20 years of experience in capital markets and risk management. She has held senior roles in operations management and business oversight, specializing in risk analysis, global markets, risk controls, and capital markets at leading international financial institutions such as Bank of America, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Wells Fargo, State Street, and BNY Mellon.
With her addition, BBVA CIB continues to enhance value for its institutional clients, including banks, insurance companies, and asset managers, both in the U.S. and internationally.
Swammy will report to Lucho Alarcón, Head of Global Markets USA at BBVA, and Peter Jensen, CEO of BSI.
The U.S. securities regulator has created the Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies Unit (CETU) to focus on combating cyberattacks and protecting retail investors from “malicious actors in the emerging technologies space,” the SEC announced in a statement.
The new department replaces the Cybersecurity and Crypto Assets Unit and is led by Laura D’Allaird. It consists of approximately 30 fraud specialists and attorneys from multiple SEC offices.
“Under Laura’s leadership, this new unit will complement the work of the Crypto Assets Task Force, led by Commissioner Hester Peirce,” stated Mark T. Uyeda, the SEC’s interim chairman, in the announcement.
D’Allaird was previously Co-Director of the Cybersecurity and Crypto Assets Unit. According to her LinkedIn profile, she has been with the SEC since 2016 and has also served as an advisor to SEC Commissioner Jaime Lizárraga, a member of the Democratic Party.
“The unit will not only protect investors but also facilitate capital formation and market efficiency, paving the way for innovation to grow. It will root out those who seek to misuse innovation to harm investors and undermine confidence in new technologies,” added Uyeda.
Uyeda’s appointment—a known cryptocurrency supporter—as interim SEC chairman suggested a likely easing of the regulator’s policy on digital assets. He is expected to hold the position until Trump’s nominee to succeed Gary Gensler, Paul Atkins, completes his confirmation process in the Senate.
According to the SEC’s official statement, CETU will leverage “the staff’s considerable expertise in financial and cyber technology to combat misconduct related to securities transactions” across several priority areas. These include fraud involving emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, the use of social media or fake websites to commit fraud, hacking to obtain material non-public information, the takeover of retail brokerage accounts, and fraud related to blockchain technology and crypto assets.
State Street Corporation and Mizuho Financial Group have announced an agreement under which State Street will acquire Mizuho‘s global custody business and related activities outside Japan. According to the companies, these businesses support the overseas investments of Mizuho‘s Japanese clients.
Currently, Mizuho operates its global custody business and related services outside Japan through its local subsidiaries: Mizuho Trust & Banking (Luxembourg)—owned by Mizuho Trust & Banking—and Mizuho Bank (USA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mizuho Bank, Ltd. Both entities manage approximately $580 billion in assets under custody and $24 billion in assets under management.
According to the companies, following this transaction, Mizuho will leverage its expertise and network as one of Japan’s leading financial institutions to continue providing its Japanese clients with reliable custody services for their domestic assets while collaborating with State Street on global custody and related services.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2025, as it remains subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions.
Key Statements on the Transaction
“Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States are key markets for State Street. This transaction demonstrates our strong commitment to accelerating our growth in these markets. Mizuho’s decision to entrust State Street with serving its valued clients reaffirms its confidence in our high-quality service, industry-leading capabilities, and commitment to product innovation and technology investment. With 35 years of experience in Japan and Luxembourg, along with our long-standing presence in the United States, State Street is well-positioned to support the global growth and business transformation of Mizuho‘s clients,” said Stefan Gmür, Head of Asia-Pacific and Head of Strategic Business Growth at State Street.
Meanwhile, Tsutomu Yamamoto, Senior Executive Officer and Head of the Global Transaction Banking Unit at Mizuho, added: “In today’s increasingly complex investment landscape, clients require global custody providers with significant scale and deep expertise. After careful evaluation, we have decided to transfer our global custody business to State Street, a recognized leader with an established presence in Japan. This strategic move will ensure that our clients benefit from State Street‘s global platform and extensive expertise.”
According to Hiroshi Kobayashi, Head of Japan at State Street, this transaction aims to meet clients’ needs not only in global custody but also in data management, risk and performance analysis, currency management, and securities financing.
“We look forward to ensuring a seamless transition for Mizuho’s clients. As the acquired business integrates into our global operating model, we are confident that our increased scale will allow us to further expand our technological and service capabilities, enhancing the experience for both existing and new clients in Japan,” Kobayashi stated.
State Street’s Business in Japan and Luxembourg
State Street established its business in Japan more than 35 years ago. With an experienced team of over 500 employees across its offices in Tokyo and Fukuoka, State Street provides Japanese institutional investors with a full range of services, including trusts, global custody, middle- and back-office outsourcing, data management, trading solutions, and financing. State Street also operates a center of operational excellence in Fukuoka, which has been supporting clients in Japan and the broader Asia-Pacific region for over a decade.
Additionally, State Street has been present in Luxembourg for 35 years, offering services such as fund administration, custody, and transfer agency. Headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, State Street operates globally across more than 100 markets.
The Argentine firm Puente has just published its Global Equities Report, a short and effective document that summarizes its outlook for the coming months and recommends being highly selective to avoid short-term risks.
Puente‘s vision for the U.S. stock segment looks optimistic for 2025 but more modest compared to the previous year, in a scenario where growth is expected to slow down and the interest rate stands at 4.5%. This continues to favor global fixed income, they indicate, given the high nominal yields that result from it.
The asset management company prioritizes sectors such as energy, technology, industrial, and financial, but with a focus on companies with strong fundamentals, high dividends, or lower valuations (“value”), to reflect that short-term risks have not yet dissipated and that selectivity remains crucial.
“Stock valuations are ‘expensive’ compared to their historical averages, with the price/earnings ratio for the next 12 months of the S&P 500 at 22.1 times, exceeding the historical average of the last 5 years (19.8 times) and the last decade (18.2 times). Meanwhile, the consensus analyst estimate for the S&P 500 stock index projects a level of 6,510 points by the end of 2025,” says Puente.
The January Snapshot and Earnings Season
The main U.S. stock indices saw widespread gains in the first month of the year, with the S&P 500 reaching a new all-time high. In this regard, the Dow Jones led the trend with a 4.6% increase, followed by the S&P 500 with a 2.3% rise, and the Nasdaq climbing 0.7%. With these results, the indices have accumulated gains of 4.1%, 2.5%, and 1.1%, respectively.
According to analysts at Puente, the corporate earnings season for the fourth quarter of 2024 is well underway, as 62% of the companies that make up the S&P 500 index have reported their financial statements. So far, 77% of these companies have reported earnings that exceeded analysts’ consensus projections. In terms of revenue, 63% of companies have surpassed quarterly revenue expectations.
“Thus, companies have reported a year-over-year earnings per share (EPS) growth of +16.4% to date. On the revenue side, a +5.2% year-over-year increase is evident for the quarter. The outlook for this year appears favorable for equities in general. For the first quarter, EPS growth of +8.7% year-over-year is expected, along with a +4.5% increase in revenue,” the report states.
Puente believes that the upward trend will strengthen, with stronger performance in the second half of the year, as long as macroeconomic conditions remain stable. Thus, EPS growth of 13% year-over-year and a 5.5% increase in revenue are projected for 2025.
