ICI Viewpoints Content

In introducing SEC Chairman Jay Clayton ahead of his highly anticipated appearance at ICI’s 61st annual General Membership Meeting this morning, ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens praised the chairman’s “erudition, dedication, and acumen” in leading the Commission. And during...

ICI publishes statistics on the US retirement market every quarter as an information resource for mutual funds, individual investors, the media, policymakers, and researchers. This report includes individual retirement account (IRA) and defined contribution (DC) plan assets, including...

In a letter to the Wall Street Journal responding to “Forget the 401(k),” published February 11, ICI President and CEO Paul Schott Stevens shows how the US retirement system actively engages employers to promote workers' retirement saving, noting that the current system also preserves...

As this Valentine’s Day approaches, step back and consider treating yourself or your spouse to an individual retirement account (IRA) contribution. Saving for retirement is an important household financial goal and contributing to an IRA is a good step toward providing for those later...

As US and global stock markets churned in December, the press took note of ICI’s reports on outflows from US long-term mutual funds and drew a hasty conclusion: individual fund investors were fleeing from market turmoil. But weighing flows against total assets is the first step to...

IDC is well known for its education and outreach programs—and it’s not hard to see why. Year after year, they provide fund directors with opportunities to hone their craft and connect with one another, equipping them with the tools they need to thrive in their oversight role for the...

Financial stability concerns are being inflated by confusion over what the funds in question actually hold. In fact, these funds invest nearly half their assets in Treasury and agency securities, and less than one-third in corporate bonds. In other words, these funds hold more in...

With the S&P 500 on a downward trajectory since early October, we've seen many headlines in the financial press of an impending bear market in US stocks and the potential for retrenchment by investors. But just as we showed that bond investors aren't stampeding the exits in another...

Recent outflows from bond mutual funds have drawn press attention and revived concerns among regulators about the impact of bond fund investors' actions on the broader bond market. Unfortunately, this attention is rooted in misconceptions—as we'll show using ICI's comprehensive data...

Long-term interest rates reached their lowest recorded levels in July 2016 and were on a steady upward trend until early December. Rates dipped recently, but that could be short-lived if global trade tensions ease and the outlook for economic growth remains robust. Investors should be...