The journey from denial to crisis

More than 40 years since a senior NASA scientist told US Congress of concerns about human activities disrupting the climate, experts are warning of an impending climate catastrophe and the financial sector is wrestling with the implications.

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Recent thinking

Multi-asset & multi-strategy

Multi-asset allocation views: What we can learn from earnings season

14 Aug 2020

Investors have faced several surprises during Q2 earnings season. Sunil Krishnan discusses what the current results round means for multi-asset investors over the coming months.

Equities

Electric avenue: EVs and the transformation of autos

13 Aug 2020

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.

Equities

Chinese equities: A rally of substance?

12 Aug 2020

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.

The AIQ Podcast

The AIQ Podcast: Risk and resilience in an age of uncertainty

11 Aug 2020

The latest episode of the AIQ podcast explores the nature of risk in an uncertain world. How can we stay resilient when the unexpected occurs?

Equities

As earnings season unfolds, equity investors must focus on the bigger picture

10 Aug 2020

Investors are poring over grim corporate earnings reports, but it is crucial to look beyond quarterly figures to assess long-term value, says Giles Parkinson.

Equities

Education, entrepreneurship and biological age: An interview with Andrew Scott

6 Aug 2020

In part two of our interview with Professor Andrew Scott from London Business School, we look at how policy will shift to take account of people living for longer and how service providers will respond.

Equities

Longevity, policy and technology: An interview with Andrew Scott

6 Aug 2020

Living longer brings enormous opportunities to reshape how we spend our time. But in the first of a two-part interview, Andrew Scott from London Business School explains how advances in longevity and technology have not been matched by innovation in social structures or our approach to financial planning.

Real Assets

Reality bites: Retailing in a health crisis

5 Aug 2020

In the latest instalment of our editorial series, Link, experts from Aviva Investors’ credit, equities and real asset teams discuss the consequences of COVID-19 on the retail sector and their implications for investors.

Insurance

Where can investors put cash to work when rates go negative?

30 Jul 2020

Just when investors thought they couldn’t sink any lower, the economic shock caused by COVID-19 has put further downward pressure on interest rates in developed markets. Caroline Hedges, head of global liquidity portfolio management at Aviva Investors, looks at the impact on money market funds.

Covid-19

Multi-strategy investing and the COVID crash: Resilience and redemption?

29 Jul 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many things into focus, reminding investors of the shock of a market crash. With bond and equity prices already back at levels that seem to belie the harsh economic reality, Peter Fitzgerald and Mark Robertson believe it could be time to reconsider absolute return multi-strategy investing once more.

AIQ Feature

Roll of the dice: Risk and resilience in an age of uncertainty

21 Jul 2020

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.

AIQ Feature

The evolution of ESG: More than just a risk mitigator

21 Jul 2020

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.

AIQ Feature

The Technocrat: Lord Adair Turner

21 Jul 2020

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.

AIQ Feature

Economics and ethics: Why diversity matters

21 Jul 2020

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.

AIQ Feature

Pandemic risk: When will we learn our lesson?

21 Jul 2020

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.

AIQ Feature

Cybersecurity in the fourth industrial revolution

21 Jul 2020

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?

The AIQ Podcast: Link - The power of connected thinking

5 Dec 2019

This latest episode of the AIQ Podcast explores the role of connected thinking in technology, business and the environment.

The AIQ Podcast: Link - The power of connected thinking

5 Dec 2019

This latest episode of the AIQ Podcast explores the role of connected thinking in technology, business and the environment.

A question of trust: What’s behind blockchain technology

15 Nov 2019

A lot has been said about how blockchain may spark a technological revolution across every corner of the economy – not only in finance, but also areas such as medicine, marketing and supply chain management. What is less clear is how it could pose a hefty social challenge as well.

Supply chain wars

14 Nov 2019

With the US and China locking horns, we take a deeper look at the tangled and complex web of multinational relationships in the global economic ecosystem.

The AIQ Podcast: Future of retirement

12 Nov 2019

The idea that in one’s sixties it might be time to step out of work and retire into a life of leisure is relatively recent. But with more people living longer, expectations of retirement are being reshaped.

5G: Anatomy of an equity investment idea

11 Nov 2019

The evolution of wireless technology has fuelled a host of new mobile applications and helped propel companies such as Netflix. 5G, its next iteration, promises speeds up to 20 times faster than the current 4G. But to think only in terms of speed severely underestimates 5G’s potential to fundamentally transform the business landscape – though not without tremendous risk.

In search of a free lunch

5 Nov 2019

Correlations between groups of assets and within individual asset classes have changed in unexpected ways thanks to a decade of easy monetary policy. Our portfolio managers tell us what impact this has had on the way they manage money.

The Technology Trap: An interview with Carl Benedikt Frey

4 Nov 2019

AIQ speaks to Oxford economist Carl Benedikt Frey about his pioneering research into labour markets and automation.

Rage against the machine

1 Nov 2019

A new wave of tech-driven automation promises improved productivity and economic growth. But as humans are replaced by robots, a political backlash is building.

Connections and communities

28 Oct 2019

Today, a handful of urban centres are pulling away from their rivals – creating more innovation, more growth and more jobs. Those changes have deep implications; understanding them and what they mean for local communities takes joined-up thinking.

The moral philosopher’s curse

25 Oct 2019

Marte Borhaug explores the ethical dilemmas and unintended consequences that can result from trying to do the right thing.

Analogies and models: Two approaches to thinking connectedly

24 Oct 2019

In an effort to understand how best to approach idea generation and collaboration, two critical components of successful investing, AIQ speaks to leading academics in the fields of analogical and model thinking.

Finding Range: An interview with David Epstein

23 Oct 2019

AIQ speaks to author David Epstein about his new book, Range, which explores how generalists succeed in a specialised world.

Link: Embracing the power of connected thinking

22 Oct 2019

In an increasingly complex world, understanding the connections between people and ideas is crucial. AIQ looks at how organisations can put connected thinking into practice.

Private wants, public needs

4 Sep 2019

With society facing many urgent and complex challenges, deciding who is best-placed to deliver solutions has become an emotive and often political subject. We assess whether there is a better way to utilise the skills and resources of the public, private and third sectors for the greater good.

Us vs them: Ian Bremmer on politics, trade and technology

8 Jul 2019

We speak to the political scientist about the long-term themes affecting emerging markets, from the trade war to technological automation to climate change.

View all AIQ Investment Thinking

AIQ Client Matters

The AIQ Podcast: Risk and resilience in an age of uncertainty

11 Aug 2020

The latest episode of the AIQ podcast explores the nature of risk in an uncertain world. How can we stay resilient when the unexpected occurs?

Education, entrepreneurship and biological age: An interview with Andrew Scott

6 Aug 2020

Longevity, policy and technology: An interview with Andrew Scott

6 Aug 2020

Where can investors put cash to work when rates go negative?

30 Jul 2020

Defined Benefit pensions de-risking: A covenant and investment view

23 Jun 2020

In the midst of the COVID-19 shock, Felix Mantz from Lincoln Pensions and Joachim Sudre from Aviva Investors explore how defined benefit pension schemes should plan their journey towards an end game and adopt a more holistic approach to risk.

COVID-19: Will credit markets remain open for business?

1 May 2020

While concerns around credit market liquidity have been rising since the global financial crisis, the COVID-19 sell-off has highlighted how fragile liquidity can be during periods of real stress. Colin Purdie discusses the short- and long-term implications for investment grade and high yield credit globally.

RPI may be flawed, but changes shouldn’t cost pensioners and investors

16 Mar 2020

With the start of the consultation for proposed changes to the measurement of inflation in the UK, we look at the likely impact to asset classes, the assets most affected, and the key issues investors should be aware of.

Five charts that will make you think differently about retirement

23 Aug 2019

Retiring at 60 is a relatively new concept, and possibly a short-lived one in our history. As populations age – and age better – people are looking at a host of ways to stay in work and sustain their retirement income. We present five charts that sum up the changing landscape.

Self-sufficiency for pension schemes: Keep on running?

28 May 2019

Boris Mikhailov and Matthew Graham look at the benefits and risks for pension schemes targeting self-sufficiency.

The future of insurance

17 May 2019

The insurance industry has evolved rapidly since the financial crisis. The next decade is shaping up to be every bit as transformative as firms grapple with a host of factors, most notably the unfolding regulatory framework, digital disruption and climate change.

Conference calls: a snapshot of investors’ views on the big issues

23 Oct 2018

Attendees at Aviva Investors’ annual institutional investor conference gave their take on some of the key themes impacting pensions schemes, from ESG to asset allocation shifts.

Balancing liquidity and flexibility: a DB de-risking dilemma

13 Sep 2018

As transfers out of UK Defined Benefit (DB) pension schemes reach record levels, John Dewey assesses the implications for pension schemes with alternative income allocations.

The AIQ Podcast: Who wants to live forever?

11 Jun 2018

This latest episode of the AIQ Podcast, we look at the implications of increasing life expectancy for individuals, companies and policymakers. Specifically, we’ll look at what this means for the advisory, pensions and insurance industries.

The future of retirement

View all AIQ Client Matters