Investment-grade credit

Japan’s bond markets enter 2026 transformed and recent structural shifts have changed the behaviour of the country’s powerful life insurers.

Could the proliferation of short-term leverage strategies be the next hidden challenge for fixed income markets?

In the last Bond Voyage edition of 2025, we examine the vast amounts of capital being deployed to build new high-capacity data centres and how the expenditure is being funded in the bond markets.

In 2024, we outlined our view on the most important public-policy interventions to unlock private investment in the low-carbon economy. In this update, we take stock of policy developments since, and look ahead to 2026 and beyond.

Discover why purposeful run-on is emerging as a credible alternative to buyout for well-funded defined benefit (DB) pension schemes – and how it can unlock long-term value while keeping clients' needs at the centre.

Significant shifts in the defined benefit (DB) pension schemes landscape mean that as schemes mature, trustees and sponsors now face a broader spectrum of strategic choices. We explain why the choice between buyout and run-on is no longer binary.

Market and economic trends are challenging the idea that emerging market (EM) bonds should trade at a discount to developed economy debt.

This month’s Bond Voyage looks at the Bulk Purchase Annuity (BPA) market in the UK – the quiet market making loud moves.

In this month’s Bond Voyage, we introduce SHIELD – the downside protection framework used by our fixed income division. SHIELD is designed to ensure our portfolios remain resilient in challenging market conditions while maintaining capital efficiency.

Asset-based finance is capturing the attention of institutional investors – from pension schemes to insurers – thanks to its diverse risk-return drivers and its growing role as a strategic building block in investors’ portfolios.

Vital industries for UK growth like steel or cement are also energy intensive, and their decarbonisation is essential. We convened a roundtable of experts to discuss barriers and solutions to unlocking low-carbon investment opportunities.

In this month’s Bond Voyage, our Solutions team investigates the reasons behind the widening gilt-swap spread and its implications for government bond investors, in particular for insurance companies.

In this month’s Bond Voyage, our solutions team explores the implications of a “higher for longer” US interest rate environment and what it could mean for investment grade (IG) investors.

In June, our credit teams look under the bonnet of the European industry’s growth engine.

Emerging-market debt has proved a rare bright spot so far this year as investors struggle to assess the impact of US political upheaval. In this article, Carmen Altenkirch and Nafez Zouk advance reasons why the market is well placed to weather ongoing market turbulence.

Investor engagement with governments on their climate commitments can be a powerful complement to other forms of stewardship. It can also help investors identify opportunities and mitigate risks, says Thomas Dillon.