The case for corporate hybrids

The US midterm election result is unlikely to see a material change to the US fiscal outlook, while the presidential veto will likely prevent major policy reversals by the Trump administration, says Michael Grady.

Big tech had a bruising week as investors questioned when the huge sums being spent on AI will pay off, yet most other companies quietly moved higher.

Geopolitics, technology and the energy transition are influencing where capital flows, and how investors think about risk, resilience and long-term returns.

Huge demand for the processing chips and memory that power artificial intelligence has driven semiconductor valuations sharply higher.

Electric and self-driving cars, batteries and robotics are progressing in leaps and bounds. Our experts discuss the investment implications.

Securitisation offers insurers diversification, varied collateral pools and attractive spreads, yet remains underrepresented as allocations depend on more than returns and capital charges.

With government deficits under the spotlight, fixed income investors need to think globally and take an active approach to allocations.

Private credit should no longer be treated as a separate asset class beyond public investors’ field of view – it is part of the same ecosystem, influencing price discovery, transfer of risk and recovery outcomes.

Investors in passive bond funds are being exposed to more risk than they may appreciate as US technology giants turn to fixed income markets to fund massive spending on AI data centres, argues Aviva Investors chief executive Mark Versey. 

Regulation must recognise that sustainable investing incorporates more than the provision of sustainable funds alone.

Diversification has always been at the heart of asset management, but recent turmoil, from higher inflation to conflict, trade barriers and the AI revolution, is roiling markets. Can investors still reap its benefits?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already helping research analysts work more efficiently, but could it ultimately replace them?