
The Bid
210: Thematic Investing: Finding Tomorrow's Investing Themes Today
Feb 21, 2025
Jeff Shen, co-head of Systematic Active Equity at BlackRock, is a seasoned expert in thematic investing. He explores the transformative forces driving today’s investment opportunities, such as technology and demographics. Shen contrasts thematic investing with traditional strategies, stressing the significance of timing and geopolitical influences. He highlights how technology, including machine learning, enhances investment decision-making. Risks and complexities are also discussed, alongside strategies for successfully navigating this dynamic landscape of emerging themes.
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Quick takeaways
- Thematic investing transcends traditional methods by focusing on transformative forces, enabling creative identification of cross-industry opportunities.
- The integration of human insight and advanced technology in identifying themes enhances the ability to pinpoint both macro and micro investment prospects.
Deep dives
The Concept of Thematic Investing
Thematic investing focuses on broader transformative forces such as technological changes, demographic trends, and environmental shifts, distinguishing it from traditional sector-based strategies. This approach enables investors to view the financial landscape through a creative lens, allowing them to identify opportunities that span various industries and geographical regions. For example, investing in artificial intelligence (AI) requires considering both the supply chain implications, like chip manufacturing, and the demand side, such as consumer usage patterns. This multifaceted understanding emphasizes that thematic investing is not just about current trends but also how these trends might evolve over time.
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