Recent thinking

Equities
Our annual letter to company chairpersons
15 Jan. 2021
As part of our engagement efforts, every January we send a letter to the chairs of companies we invest in (and some we don’t, but still want to use our influence with) to set out our stewardship priorities for the year. Here, in full, is our 2021 letter.
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Real Assets
Hydrogen: Back to the future
18 Dec. 2020
The UK is the latest country to accelerate plans to develop hydrogen as part of its push to reach net zero. But it is not the first time hydrogen has attracted attention – it has been trumpeted by the scientific community as a possible wonder fuel for around a century. So, what’s changed now?
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Equities
Issuance, support from equities and volatility: The outlook for convertible bonds in 2021
18 Dec. 2020
Shawn Mato, convertible bond fund manager, picks three themes that could have a big say in how the asset class performs in 2021.
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Multi-asset & multi-strategy
Vaccine hope, Biden and central bank policy: The outlook for multi-asset in 2021
17 Dec. 2020
Sunil Krishnan highlights some of the themes that will shape multi-asset investing in 2021.
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Multi-asset & multi-strategy
Liquidity, uneven recoveries and debt sustainability: The outlook for emerging-market debt in 2021
17 Dec. 2020
Liam Spillane, head of emerging market debt at Aviva Investors, picks three themes that could have a big say in how the asset class performs in 2021.
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Fixed income
Zombie revival, improving fundamentals and monetary policy: The outlook for high yield in 2021
17 Dec. 2020
Kevin Mathews, Brent Finck and Sunita Kara, high yield portfolio managers at Aviva Investors, pick out three themes that will shape the asset class in 2021.
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Fixed income
Stimulus, M&A and US politics: The outlook for investment grade credit in 2021
17 Dec. 2020
Mike Cho and Jonathan Manning, investment-grade portfolio managers at Aviva Investors, look at the themes that will shape the asset class in 2021.
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Real Assets
COVID recovery, net zero and policy: The outlook for UK infrastructure in 2021
16 Dec. 2020
Darryl Murphy assesses the current state of the UK infrastructure market and the likely drivers of activity in 2021.
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Real Assets
Relative value, ‘normality’ and polarisation: The outlook for real estate in 2021
16 Dec. 2020
Souad Cherfouh, head of real estate investment strategy, and Jonathan Bayfield, head of UK and Irish real estate research, look at three themes that could characterise the real estate market in 2021 and beyond.
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Real Assets
COVID, remote working and building back better: The stories that defined real assets in 2020
16 Dec. 2020
We select some of our key pieces of content on real asset markets in a dramatic year.
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Responsible Investing
Laggards, electric vehicles and energy storage: The outlook for the climate transition in 2021
15 Dec. 2020
Jaime Ramos Martin, portfolio manager of Aviva Investors’ climate transition strategy, and Rick Stathers, Aviva Investors’ climate lead, look at three themes that will shape the outlook in 2021.
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Equities
Recovery, divergence and externalities: The outlook for global equities in 2021
15 Dec. 2020
Giles Parkinson, global equities portfolio manager at Aviva Investors, looks at three themes that will shape the asset class in 2021.
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Responsible Investing
How the US can lead on climate finance: A five-point plan for President Biden’s first year
14 Dec. 2020
The US went backwards on tackling climate change under President Trump. His successor Joe Biden must act quickly to make up for lost time, says Steve Waygood.
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Equities
Reversal of fortunes, Brexit and dividends: The outlook for UK equities in 2021
11 Dec. 2020
Trevor Green, UK equity portfolio manager at Aviva Investors, picks three themes that could have a big say in how the asset class performs in 2021.
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Equities
Selectivity, sanctions and decarbonisation: The outlook for emerging market equities in 2021
11 Dec. 2020
Alistair Way, head of emerging market equities at Aviva Investors, looks at three themes that will shape the asset class in 2021.
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Real Assets
COVID, climate and Black Lives Matter: The stories that defined 2020
10 Dec. 2020
We select some of our key pieces of content in a year of unending drama.
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AIQ: The Risk Edition
COVID-19 has shown how quickly a single event can disrupt a globalised economy. AIQ explores some of the biggest threats facing the world, from cybersecurity to environmental disasters, and considers the investment implications.

AIQ: The Climate Edition
Can the world get back on track towards meeting the commitments of 2015’s Paris Agreement? From science to psychology; from land use to big data; we examine the challenges posed by climate change and assess potential solutions.

The Little Book of Data
A curated collection of the infographics shaping our views on markets and economics. Limited availability, so reserve your copy of The Little Book of Data now.

The AIQ Podcast
We sit down with some of the best minds in economics, finance and academia to break down important ideas in investing, challenge conventional thinking, and have a bit of fun. The AIQ Podcast brings you the ideas that matter, the intuition behind the results, and the understanding to apply them.

Macro House View
Our House View represents the best collective judgement of Aviva Investors on the current and future investment environment.
AIQ features

Roll of the dice: Risk and resilience in an age of uncertainty
The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the difficulties of managing risk in an increasingly globalised and interconnected world. We explore how organisations can stay resilient through an era of radical change.
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The evolution of ESG: More than just a risk mitigator
Once dismissed as a virtuous endeavour that compromised investment returns, the ability to gain a more holistic view of risk by considering environmental, social and governance factors is increasingly appreciated by investors. We assess the evolution of ESG across asset classes, as well as its role as a risk mitigator and opportunity spotter.
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The Technocrat: Lord Adair Turner
With developed economies stuck in a high-debt and low interest rate trap, the former head of Britain’s financial watchdog believes central banks should break a long-held taboo and finance governments directly.
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Economics and ethics: Why diversity matters
In business, diversity can be the difference between success and failure. But while progress towards it has been frustratingly slow in many areas, the pressure is mounting on companies to act.
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Pandemic risk: When will we learn our lesson?
COVID-19 has reminded us that the sources of economic and financial crises can be wildly unpredictable. However, while spotting patient zero in advance was nigh on impossible, pandemic risk was well telegraphed. In the first part of our mini-series, The source of the next crisis, we consider whether an infectious disease could wrong-foot us again or whether governments will learn their lesson.
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Cybersecurity in the fourth industrial revolution
COVID-19 shocked investors into taking pandemic risks more seriously. In an increasingly connected world, where data is the new oil, could cyberattacks be the next big threat?
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Inflation hawks: Crying wolf?
Twelve years on from the financial crisis, inflation hawks are back. They were proved wrong then, but could this time be different? In part three of our mini-series on the source of the next crisis, we explore the extent to which inflation poses a risk to the global economy and financial stability.
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Geopolitics: Could the coronavirus pandemic lead to a new Cold War?
The US-China relationship has deteriorated in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. What does this geopolitical rivalry mean for the global economy and markets?
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Nature and neglect: The era of ecological disasters
As the frequency and ferocity of natural hazards increase, in part five of our mini-series on the source of the next crisis AIQ considers the economic and investment implications and what we can learn from past mistakes.
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The Economist: John Kay
AIQ speaks to economist and author John Kay about risk, uncertainty and the longer-term implications of the coronavirus pandemic.
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The risks on the savings and retirement journey
COVID-19 has caused significant volatility in financial markets, creating headaches for defined contribution pension schemes seeking to deliver robust outcomes. Overcoming this requires a full map of risks along the savings and retirement journey, argues Francois de Bruin.
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Policy moves into the great unknown, but at what cost?
Policymakers are dreaming up ever more radical experiments to try and pull economies out of what could be the deepest recession in living memory. But until the world can cure its addiction to debt, financial markets will remain on a knife edge.
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Trial and error: The value of learning from mistakes
A common characteristic of successful people and organisations is an ability to recognise and quickly learn from their mistakes. UK Equity Income Fund Manager Chris Murphy shares the lessons he has learned from an eventful career.
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Will COVID-19 concentrate corporate power
The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic could see large firms cement their dominance over weaker rivals. We examine the implications for investors.
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Resilience in credit: All calm for now, but big tests lie in store
For credit investors, resilience is about taking appropriate levels of risk, understanding market dynamics, and identifying companies best prepared for the future. All these qualities could be tested given the wide range of possible outcomes as the world begins to recover from COVID-19.
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Real assets and the quest for resilient income
COVID-19 has made life harder for already yield-starved investors, and each asset class faces its own challenges. We draw on the latest thinking from our Real Assets House View and research team to highlight where reliable income sources can still be found in real asset markets.
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