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27 Years at AB|34 Years of Experience
Christopher W. Marx is Senior Vice President and Global Head of Equity Business Development. He is responsible for overseeing the firm's team of equity investment strategists and product managers, setting strategic priorities and goals for the global Equities business, developing new products, and engaging with clients to represent market views and investment strategies of the firm. Previously, Marx was a senior investment strategist and a portfolio manager of Equities, and in 2011 he cofounded the Global, International and US Strategic Core Equity portfolios with Kent Hargis. He joined the firm in 1997 as a research analyst covering a variety of industries both domestically and internationally, including chemicals, metals, retail and consumer staples. Marx became part of the portfolio-management team in 2004. Prior to joining the firm, he spent six years as a consultant for Deloitte & Touche and Boston Consulting Group. Marx holds a BA in economics from Harvard University and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Location: New York
Portfolio managers should always have good explanations for their underweight positions. These days, it matters more than ever.
Chris Marx, Teresa Keane, Robert Milano | 27 August 2024Future investing challenges will be profoundly different than those that dominated capital markets in recent decades. Investors must adjust their expectations accordingly.
Scott DiMaggio, Chris Marx | 09 December 2022Despite this year’s market disruptions, there are still good reasons to stay invested in stocks as an integral part of a long-term investment plan.
Robert Milano, Chris Marx, David Wong | 07 November 2022In a world of pervasive innovation, investors need a new mindset to identify transformational companies and portfolio strategies with true return potential. But reaping the benefits of innovation also requires some old-fashioned fundamental sense.
Erin Bigley, Chris Marx | 28 September 2021The exit from the pandemic will be bumpy. Defensive stocks with attractive valuations can help provide balance through an uncertain recovery.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 01 March 2021Global stocks rebounded sharply from the coronavirus market crash in 2020, but the ride was rocky. With so many risks clouding the outlook, we believe that investors should focus on generating a smoother pattern of returns through the recovery from COVID-19.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 19 January 2021Defensive equities are usually found in sectors that have withstood market shocks, such as utilities and real estate. But as COVID-19 shakes up investment conventions, companies with intangible assets are being more appreciated for their volatility cushion.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 04 November 2020Data science is most effective when it starts with a deep, fundamental question. What's the key question that the research is trying to answer? From that starting point, data scientists work very closely with research analysts to deploy the right data and tools to find an answer.
Chris Marx, Jonathan Berkow | 03 August 2020The COVID-19 crisis has made data science even more important. Today, data scientists are collaborating with research analysts to fill in the gaps with a few mouse clicks when social distancing restrictions limit the mobility of on-the-ground efforts.
Chris Marx, Jonathan Berkow | 28 July 2020Following these guidelines can help equity investors navigate the uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic when selecting stocks and positioning portfolios.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 30 March 2020Even as global stocks climbed in 2019, market volatility persisted. By some measures, lower-volatility stocks now look quite expensive. But in fact, high-quality stocks that can help protect portfolios can be found at reasonable prices, if you know where to look.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 17 January 2020Volatility is a challenge that has vexed equity investors for decades and has been amplified in today's low interest-rate environment. As many investors reach for higher-return assets to help meet future obligations, they are likely to be more exposed to the higher inherent volatility that stocks add to an allocation. In this paper, we examine the root causes of volatility to provide a holistic perspective on risk-management solutions for the current complex environment. Distinguishing between market risk, factor risk and stock-specific risk can help investors identify the most appropriate strategic solutions to combat volatility and ensure that they are compensated for the risk in their equity portfolios.
Christopher Hogbin, Chris Marx, Nelson Yu | 28 October 2019Investors are facing a strategic conundrum in a world of vast political, macroeconomic and market risks. In this environment, generating a better risk/return balance requires a deeper understanding of the sources of risk across asset classes and new data analysis techniques.
Chris Marx | 24 September 2019The most closely watched part of the US yield curve inverted this week for this first time since 2007, suggesting that a recession may be around the corner. We're not convinced that's true.
Erin Bigley, Chris Marx | 14 August 2019Global stocks rebounded in the first quarter, but the ride was rocky. Even in a rising market, volatility is a clear and present danger. With so many risks clouding the outlook, we believe that investors should focus on generating a smoother pattern of returns.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 30 April 2019After a volatile year in global markets, equity investors are on high alert. With so much uncertainty about the macroeconomic growth outlook, we think it's important to make sure that an equity allocation is positioned to do well no matter what happens to the economy.
Chris Marx, Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki | 30 January 2019Investors enter 2019 facing a long list of macroeconomic and geopolitical risks. But there is some good news. Strategic approaches to equity and fixed-income markets can help investors rise to the challenges.
Chris Marx, Erin Bigley | 10 December 2018Recent volatility reminds us that new risks are testing standard defensive equity strategies. Portfolios that offer downside protection need to go beyond standard risk models and position themselves for changing challenges ranging from trade wars to European political instability.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 13 November 2018As environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations become more prominent in portfolios, institutional investors are asking more questions of their investment managers. We spoke with a few of our research analysts to help highlight some of the top issues that deserve attention when evaluating portfolio teams.
Chris Marx, Erin Bigley | 24 September 2018Our prime-alpha tool is designed to help bring more transparency and clarity to the dialogue around the true drivers of manager returns. We recently had an opportunity to apply the prime-alpha analysis during a series of conversations with a US public retirement plan sponsor.
Chris Marx | 30 April 2018Changing market conditions over the last five years have taught us a few things about managing risk. The most important lesson? Delivering downside protection constantly requires refining and adjustment.
Kent Hargis, Chris Marx, Sammy Suzuki | 16 January 2018Stock markets around the world have rallied this year, and investors are asking whether equities are expensive. Comparing valuations to growth potential helps shed light on the risks and opportunities in equities.
Scott Krauthamer, Chris Marx | 21 November 2017Soaring stock prices thrill investors, but it's the disciplined, less glamorous efforts to not lose money that build lasting wealth. It's possible to get downside protection and still beat the market over time. Here's how.
Kent Hargis, Sammy Suzuki, Chris Marx | 04 October 2016With investing, everyone likes to focus on the upswings to their portfolios. But watch those downturns! You may do more for reaching your long-term goals with practicing what we call "winning by not losing," which is the essence of upside/downside capture.
Chris Marx | 28 September 2016Contrary to conventional wisdom, research shows that less volatile stocks tend to beat the market over the long term, by losing less in downturns. Our own research found that an active approach combining low volatility and high fundamental quality produced even stronger performance. This strategy can be used as a source of uncorrelated alpha or as part of a plan's overall risk management.
Kent Hargis, Chris Marx | 05 June 2015