Talking Heads

Convertible bonds are hybrid instruments combining bond and equity characteristics. As a result, they offer some equity upside, but with bond-like protection on the downside. If we are at the start of a cycle of rising interest rates, the option investors in these nominal assets (bonds) hold to convert to real assets (equities) could prove invaluable. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

The S&P 500 stock index ended September down by 4.8%, its first monthly drop since January and the largest fall since March 2020. Vincent Nichols, investment specialist for US equities, reviews recent events and the outlook for US stocks.   Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

At the centre of a pandemic-induced boom, stern regulation efforts and forays into new turf, the technology sector is making almost daily headlines and requires robust research to separate the possibilities from the pitfalls, argues Pamela Hegarty, lead portfolio manager with a focus on information technology and communication services.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Uncertainty over the macroeconomic landscape and the outlook for monetary policy currently combine with an awareness among investors that by many measures, valuations in public markets are on the high side. David Bouchoucha, head of our private debt and real assets team, talks about the characteristics that make private debt an attractive alternative.  Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What will be the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic for the food and agriculture sector? How is the transition towards more sustainable food production and consumption affected? Agne Rackauskaite, co-portfolio manager of Impax Asset Management’s sustainable food strategy, gives investors her view on the post-pandemic outlook. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

It is a win-win for companies to target the social aspects of doing business, next to environmental responsibility and proper governance, and it can be so for investors as well, argues senior portfolio manager Maria Luz Diaz Blanco.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

In mid-June, Fed Chair Jay Powell pulled the rug from beneath the reflation trade by suggesting current inflation pressures were perhaps not transitory after all. Fixed income markets promptly reversed course with 10-year US Treasury yields last week trading as low as 1.25% after ending the first quarter at 1.70%. In this week’s podcast, Olivier de Larouziere, chief investment officer fixed income, explains what remains of the 2021 reflation trade. Listen to the podcast with Olivier de Larouziere, chief investment officer fixed income Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

While many parts of the economy had to shut down as the coronavirus pandemic raged, the lights stayed on, water flowed from taps and internet connections buzzed. The crisis has highlighted the importance of the underlying infrastructure and, as Karen Azoulay explains, it was a useful reminder of the solidity of infrastructure debt as an asset class. Listen to the podcast with Karen Azoulay, head of infrastructure debt.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Addressing ecosystem restoration is just as pressing as tackling CO2 emissions and can generate billions of dollars of investment opportunities, as Ulrik Fugmann and Edward Lees, co-heads of the Environmental Strategies Group, explain.Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Emerging market equities offer investors a wide range of diversification opportunities across economies with a solid post-pandemic growth profile that include, but also stretch beyond, China and the wider Asian region. Quang Nguyen, head of global emerging market equities, argues the case for a broad perspective and active portfolio management. Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.