AIQ

Asset owners are increasingly committing to net-zero emissions in their portfolios by or before 2050, but it is a huge and complex undertaking. What do asset owners need to consider as they start on their decarbonisation journey?

The UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the COP26 summit in the UK sets out how the private and public sectors can work together to tackle the climate crisis and other systemic threats. Words by Miles Costello.

The influential academic speaks to AIQ about the flaws in traditional economic thinking and how her revolutionary “Doughnut” offers a fresh approach to solving the world’s greatest problems.

European regulators are set to introduce significant reforms to money market funds. Investors need to be ready, says Alastair Sewell.

A series of market failures have brutally exposed the shortcomings of Modern Portfolio Theory. However, market participants play an active role in markets; they are not mere bystanders. Understanding this could provide a better way to think about and deal with systematic risk.

Financial services underpin all economic activity, which itself depends on Earth’s natural capital. Resolving their interconnected issues to bring about a just transition will require a holistic, systems-thinking approach.

Ben Sanderson and James Stevens from our real estate team discuss risks and opportunities for property investors amid changing work patterns, rising inflation and the race to net zero.

A distorted sense of reality has caused us to disregard sustainability concerns when modelling economies, companies and finance. We can no longer ignore such material issues just because they are too hard to fathom. This is where systems thinking comes in, explains Steve Waygood.

Despite spread widening, defaults in the high yield market have yet to hit significant levels. Will structural changes in the market limit the damage from defaults in future crises?

Darryl Murphy and Sean McLachlan from our infrastructure team assess how Russia’s war on Ukraine, fears over energy security and surging inflation have changed the prospects for infrastructure investors.

Asset managers and other financial institutions have a duty to act in the best interests of their customers and society. Macro stewardship will be crucial to meeting these responsibilities, argues Mark Versey.

Runaway inflation and monetary tightening could trigger a recession. It’s time for the real estate market to press the reset button, argues Daniel McHugh.

Warnings that natural systems are close to breaking point are not new – but how will we respond? Combining what we know with existing technologies could offer a remarkable opportunity to rethink our world, as Nafeez Ahmed explains.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at some of the key recent trends in the real asset universe.

How can we face existential problems and stay positive? Abigail Herron contemplates simple steps to protect momentum and avoid burnout.

Emerging markets have been hit by stern economic challenges in 2022. But many companies are proving resilient thanks to strong fundamentals, as our emerging market corporate debt team explain.

Beijing’s ideological battle to stamp out COVID-19 appears increasingly misguided as the rest of the world learns to live with the virus. But the impact of China’s approach will be felt far beyond its borders.

The lead manager of our Global Equity Income strategy discusses risks and opportunities for income-seeking investors in a turbulent time for markets.

The idea that human actions are bringing natural systems close to breakdown, threatening livelihoods and financial stability, is making asset managers think harder about nature risk and the environmental dependencies in investee companies.

The manager of our UK Equity Income strategy explains why investors need to change their mindsets about what to pay for growth and cautions against buying yield for its own sake.

Reflecting on ESG risks in the pharmaceutical industry, Sora Utzinger discusses supply chains and counterfeit medicines, access to painkillers, and the ethics of gene editing.

Charlotte Meyrick and Trevor Green explain why 2022 has all been about getting your sector calls right in UK equities.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at how various asset classes are holding up in a turbulent year for financial markets.

Growing awareness that natural systems are stressed or even close to breakdown is prompting asset managers to look closely at nature-based risks and investee companies to understand their environmental impacts and dependencies.

The UK equity market has been unloved by investors for much of the past decade. However, several positive factors suggest UK equities could return to favour.

In an age of mass extinctions, policymakers, businesses and financial institutions are beginning to acknowledge the risks associated with biodiversity loss, along with the opportunities that arise from nature-positive solutions.

More than one fifth of the world’s largest listed companies have committed to net-zero targets, but few have detailed roadmaps to get there. Mirza Baig considers the challenges for investors managing transition pathways.

Our global equities team discuss the main direct and indirect consequences of the Ukraine-Russia crisis for stocks.

We bring together members of our UK equities team to discuss the key opportunities and risks in the market.

Emerging market assets have underperformed developed market peers over the past decade. While this has led to valuation gaps, selectivity will be critical, argues David Nowakowski.

From Russian hackers interfering in foreign elections to high-profile corporate breaches, people are waking up to some harsh realities around data. We look at what the European call for a ‘Magna Carta’ for data has led to, and explore the investment implications of the growing scrutiny over data privacy.

Finance must wake up to the risks associated with biodiversity loss and the opportunities that arise from nature-friendly solutions, argue Eugenie Mathieu, Julie Zhuang and Jonathan Toub.

Beijing’s ideological battle to stamp out COVID-19 appears increasingly misguided as the rest of the world learns to live with the virus. But the impact of China’s approach will be felt far beyond its borders.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at whether the global economy is heading towards stagflation.

Government bonds have not acted as safe haven assets recently. Sunil Krishnan explores whether this spells the end of the traditional 60/40 allocation in multi-asset portfolios.

A growing chorus of experts are warning of the return of stagflation – periods of high inflation with low or negative economic growth. 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to ESG receiving widespread flak. While much of the criticism is unjustified, the episode underlines how many issues related to ESG are complex and involve trade-offs. Investment approaches may need fine tuning, especially if the geopolitical landscape continues to change so rapidly.

With high levels of inflation persisting around the world, central banks must tighten policy without hurting consumer demand and economic growth. This will be more difficult for some central banks than others, says Sunil Krishnan.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at how various asset classes are holding up in a turbulent year for financial markets.

Surging inflation is leading to fears the world economy could be heading towards recession. While there are diverging views on whether we are entering a new era of stagflation, the medium-term growth-inflation trade off looks set to worsen with big implication for asset prices, argue Michael Grady and Peter Fitzgerald.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at the far-reaching human and economic consequences of the Ukraine-Russian war.

The world has become more volatile and unpredictable with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. But while Vladimir Putin may have dealt globalisation another blow, China and the West will want to prevent the world splitting into two competing blocs.

From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to surging inflation, risk has well and truly returned to markets in 2022. Sunil Krishnan offers useful insights for investors unaccustomed to such challenging times.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, following hot on the heels of the pandemic, could hasten the transition to a new, more volatile economic environment. That would have major ramifications for financial markets and investors, argues Michael Grady.

Emerging market assets have underperformed developed market peers over the past decade. While this has led to valuation gaps, selectivity will be critical, argues David Nowakowski.

After decades of low returns on research and development (R&D), the healthcare sector is producing a slew of innovations, from drugs to diagnostics. But with many coming from new entrants, will big pharmaceutical companies manage to keep up with the times?

As central banks continue to stretch what ‘transitory’ inflation means, Sunil Krishnan explores how price pressures are changing and the implications for multi-asset portfolios.

Trend rates of economic growth, which have been on the decline for decades in the world’s leading economies, look set to fall further. That will have big implications for governments, companies, households and investors, argues Stewart Robertson.

Asset owners are increasingly committing to net-zero emissions in their portfolios by or before 2050, but it is a huge and complex undertaking. What do asset owners need to consider as they start on their decarbonisation journey?

The UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the COP26 summit in the UK sets out how the private and public sectors can work together to tackle the climate crisis and other systemic threats. Words by Miles Costello.

The influential academic speaks to AIQ about the flaws in traditional economic thinking and how her revolutionary “Doughnut” offers a fresh approach to solving the world’s greatest problems.

A series of market failures have brutally exposed the shortcomings of Modern Portfolio Theory. However, market participants play an active role in markets; they are not mere bystanders. Understanding this could provide a better way to think about and deal with systematic risk.

Financial services underpin all economic activity, which itself depends on Earth’s natural capital. Resolving their interconnected issues to bring about a just transition will require a holistic, systems-thinking approach.

Ben Sanderson and James Stevens from our real estate team discuss risks and opportunities for property investors amid changing work patterns, rising inflation and the race to net zero.

Darryl Murphy and Sean McLachlan from our infrastructure team assess how Russia’s war on Ukraine, fears over energy security and surging inflation have changed the prospects for infrastructure investors.

Asset managers and other financial institutions have a duty to act in the best interests of their customers and society. Macro stewardship will be crucial to meeting these responsibilities, argues Mark Versey.

Warnings that natural systems are close to breaking point are not new – but how will we respond? Combining what we know with existing technologies could offer a remarkable opportunity to rethink our world, as Nafeez Ahmed explains.

In this month’s instalment of our visual series on topical themes, we look at some of the key recent trends in the real asset universe.

How can we face existential problems and stay positive? Abigail Herron contemplates simple steps to protect momentum and avoid burnout.

Can society reform the system that has enabled growth but simultaneously brought the long-term health of the planet into question? UN Climate Change High Level Champions Finance Youth Fellow Natalie Mangondo contemplates choices and change with AIQ.

The lead manager of our Global Equity Income strategy discusses risks and opportunities for income-seeking investors in a turbulent time for markets.

Luke Layfield looks at how real estate long income can help address clients’ ESG responsible investing objectives and how respective timelines for implementing change can be best aligned.

The idea that human actions are bringing natural systems close to breakdown, threatening livelihoods and financial stability, is making asset managers think harder about nature risk and the environmental dependencies in investee companies.

Reaching net zero by 2050 will require significant injections of capital. But it is also an opportunity to rethink social relationships, as Professor Nick Robins explains.