Freedom has its own style

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Using the examples of electronics, food, autos and fashion, we explore the benefits of, and challenges to achieving, a more circular economy.

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?

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.

Investors in China should view recent interventions by the government in the context of its history and longer-term strategic ambitions, argues Amy Kam.

China’s regulators are taking swift, radical action against tech companies they consider to be too big and powerful. How should foreign investors respond?