Too much of a good thing is a good thing. Why eight portfolio managers are better than one.

Are you concerned about the risks associated with keeping all your money in one place? We hope this will help put you at ease. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. This simple piece of commonsense wisdom has helped generations of people minimize their chances of losing everything. The idea of not concentrating all your resources in one thing or one place is a sound one. That advice can be just as valuable when it comes to investing. Rather than putting all of your assets into a single stock or a handful of stocks, it’s far more prudent to spread the risk around by investing in a variety of stocks in different asset classes. That’s called diversification, and in some instances it can mean the difference between reaching your financial goals or still struggling to achieve them. But what about the people managing your money? Depending on a single money manager can be a risky proposition, too. Would you attend a college where only one professor taught every subject, from engineering to journalism to medicine? Probably not. So why would you entrust your money to just one portfolio manager? Azzad has selected a team of experienced institutional money managers

September 9, 2018 No Comments

Portfolio Manager Spotlight: Federated Investment Management

In the past three months, we’ve seen bond markets struggle against a backdrop of rising rates and geopolitical tensions. Here’s how Azzad’s fixed-income portfolio manager, Federated Investment Management Company, handles the challenge. In the second quarter of 2018, many bond funds struggled as rates increased. The Federal Reserve raised rates two times in the first half of 2018 and signaled two further hikes to come this year. All of this comes as inflation reached the Fed’s target rate faster than previously forecast and unemployment continued to fall. Given this backdrop of rising rates and geopolitical tensions, many bond funds lost ground over the second quarter, though funds boasting shorter durations and U.S. dollar exposure proved to be the exception to this rule. Not so for the Azzad Wise Capital Fund (ticker: WISEX), which eked out a positive return in a challenging quarter. WISEX is managed by Federated Investment Management Company, a subsidiary of Federated Investors, Inc. Founded in 1955 and based in Pittsburgh, Penn., Federated is widely considered to be a pillar in the money management universe, with $255 billion in assets under management at the end of 2017. Federated took over managing WISEX in 2014. Under its watchful eye,

August 6, 2018 No Comments

Despite Qatar blockade, investors still bullish

Crisis could be subdued with traders fasting for Ramadan On June 5, the nation of Qatar received news that a bloc of Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia would cut air, sea, and land links with the peninsular monarchy. In Doha, worried residents emptied store shelves knowing that Qatar depends on sea routes and its land border with Saudi Arabia for nearly all its consumer goods. While the economic impact of the blockade on citizens was immediately evident, there was less clarity in financial markets. Although banking ties between Qatar and its Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) allies are in flux, the Qatari banking sector in general is well-capitalized and reportedly capable of weathering a short-term hit to its operations. The desert nation currently retains an investment grade rating, which gives it favorable borrowing costs should it need access to financing, and only six to eight percent of its total liabilities come from other GCC banks. In the longer term, however, experts warn that lack of access to GCC interbank operations could be a cause for concern. Could the blockade turn into more than a brief period of turbulence? Not likely, according to some investors. This isn’t the first time Qatar

June 8, 2017 No Comments

Federated to sub-advise first US halal fixed-income fund

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 17, 2014 — Azzad Asset Management announced today the selection of Federated Investment Management Company, a subsidiary of Federated Investors, Inc., as sub-advisor for the Azzad Wise Capital Fund (NASDAQ: WISEX), America’s first halal, socially responsible fixed-income mutual fund. “We understand the trust given to us as managers of this unique portfolio,” said Ihab Salib, Federated vice president and head of international fixed income, in a statement delivered at the National Press Club. “We look forward to bringing the knowledge and resources of Federated’s global fixed-income team and our firm’s more than half a century of investing experience to this exciting opportunity,” Salib added. Over its four-year history, the Azzad Wise Capital Fund has proven to be an important diversification and income-generating tool for investors who observe the Islamic prohibition on usury, as well as for conventional investors in search of a socially responsible vehicle with exposure to alternatives and emerging market yield. Although it does not deal with debt instruments tied to interest-based lending, the Azzad Wise Capital Fund invests in Sukuk and Islamic bank deposits, which are designed to share profits and generate returns similar to conventional bonds. Azzad representatives noted challenges in the search

June 16, 2014 No Comments