Global equity income Q&A

After decades of secrecy, light is increasingly being shone on the potentially hazardous compounds produced by chemical companies. In the latest instalment of our editorial series, Link, experts from Aviva Investors’ credit, equities and ESG teams discuss the prevalence of chemicals in modern life, and how to balance usefulness and safety.

Evidence that a company wields pricing power in its industry is the best indication of a sustainable competitive advantage, argues Giles Parkinson.

The gravity-defying rally in technology shares has led some commentators to draw comparisons with the dot.com bubble of the late 1990s. However, Mikhail Zverev and Alistair Way believe there are still opportunities to be found in some of the sector’s less-fashionable stocks.

As the US presidential election looms, we explore potential scenarios – from a Democratic “blue sweep” to a Trump re-election to a divided government – and assess the implications for investors.

Equity markets are slow to price in the implications of change. This creates opportunities for dynamic, style-agnostic investors to take advantage, argue Caroline Galligan and David Cumming.

Facebook, Twitter and other platforms are drawing criticism for their failure to tackle hate content. But will the hit to their reputation do any lasting commercial damage?

COVID-19 has intensified interest in the human microbiome, as researchers contemplate whether bacteria living in the gut might affect susceptibility to infection. Drawing on our experience in public markets and Ahren Innovation Capital’s knowledge of private markets, we look at the companies making strides in live biotherapeutics, using ‘bugs as drugs’, and key challenges that need to be overcome.

Investors wanting to consistently exploit market inefficiencies should leave style biases behind, argues Mikhail Zverev.

It has been a difficult year for income investing, as many companies have announced cuts or suspensions to dividends. But there are opportunities for investors willing to do some digging to find resilient businesses, says Richard Saldanha.

Bottom-up thinking is not a typical hallmark of multi-asset investing. However, Francois de Bruin believes the granularity that comes from this approach offers useful diversification and risk benefits.

In the latest instalment of our editorial series, Link, experts from our infrastructure, credit research and equity teams discuss why efforts to ‘build back better’ as economies recover from COVID-19 could further accelerate investment in electric vehicles and associated infrastructure.

Chinese equities have risen sharply in recent weeks, mirroring trends in global markets. While some commentators have warned efforts by Beijing to juice share prices are inflating an unsustainable bubble, Alistair Way and Xiaoyu Liu argue valuations are far from excessive.