Hark! Is that Jolly Old Saint Nick, climbing quickly to altitude in the winter night sky?

The maritime industry is a massive and critical component of the global supply chain, responsible for transporting approximately 90% of global goods and commodities,[1] as well as producing clean electricity and low-carbon food. Due to its size, the industry is responsible for approximately 3% of global CO₂ emissions,[2] as well as other pollutants.

2021 was an impressive year for crypto as the market, led by Bitcoin, expanded to a market cap of roughly $3 trillion, up from $800 billion at the start of the year. Bitcoin itself was able to maintain a market capitalization of over $1 trillion for several months and stands at approximately $1.1 trillion at the time of writing. While its price action throughout the year was well documented by the media, its adoption as an inflation hedge and as a currency were overlooked.

Public defined benefit (DB) plans face intensifying pressure as modest expectations for future investment returns continue to fall short of actuarial discount rates. Post-pandemic market conditions have magnified the challenge as investment consultants continue to lower their capital markets assumptions in the face of low interest rates and rising equity market valuations, which both point to leaner future returns.

More than 40 million people worldwide are estimated to be victims of various forms of modern slavery, including forced labor, debt bondage and human trafficking. Forced labor alone is estimated to generate profits of US$150 billion a year for the criminals behind it.

Sports and healthcare investing may not seem to have much in common—until you consider the role that defense can play in both.

While we believe the pace of economic growth will gradually decelerate over the course of the year, we expect it will remain above-trend. Driving this solid economic activity will be three distinct forces – the consumer, inventories, and business investment.

The Texas Municipal Retirement System, the statewide multi-employer retirement plan, is managing the retirement benefits of six new participating cities and the staff of a Dallas pension plan.

There are 30 open seats in the Texas House and Senate up for grabs during the March 2022 Primary Election and November 2022 General Election. 

House Speaker Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, recently announced his appointments to the Texas Sunset Advisory Commission, which determines when state agencies will be abolished if the Legislature doesn't act to extend them. 

When families gather for the holidays, workers nationwide often get time off to spend with loved ones. That isn't always the case for thousands of public employees who work as first responders. The holidays can be a stressful time for those in law enforcement and firefighting. In fact, the holidays often result in higher numbers of incidents as folks strive to create festive memories. Yet, most first responders stay on the job despite the stress of the holidays and beyond.

Each holiday season, the U.S. Census Bureau releases its economic rundown of holiday economic retail figures. As trustees and administrators of public employee retirement systems, keeping up with the financial market is essential. Pension funds in the U.S. hold trillions of dollars in assets and are critical economic institutions in their quests to make up for some of the loss of income for retired state and local government workers such as police and firefighters.