Fidelity Answers: The Investment Podcast

After three years, China has dropped its zero-Covid policy, and 2023 has brought a sharp rebound in activity. Road traffic, hotel bookings and many other indicators are approaching or even exceeding their 2019 levels. It's clearly good news for the economy but what does China’s reopening mean for regional and global supply chains? In the short term, Covid infections have been disrupting manufacturing as well as logistics networks but there are also some longer-term forces at play. The world looks different today than it did even just a few years ago, before the pandemic. The US-China trade war has prompted companies everywhere to hedge geopolitical risks by diversifying their manufacturing into other markets and shortening their supply chains. The slow burn demographic challenge is also pushing up manufacturing costs. In this episode, Catherine Yeung, Investment Director, and Marty Dropkin, Head of Equities, Asia Pacific, are joined by Evelyn Huang, Multi Asset Portfolio Manager, and Lynda Zhou, Equity Portfolio Manager, to discuss China's rapid reopening and what it means for the country's growth outlook, for its manufacturing competitiveness, and for investors looking to position themselves for the next phase. With additional contributions from James Trafford, Analyst and Portfolio Manager. Read more at fidelityinternational.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lorenzo Simonellis is chief executive of one of the world's biggest oilfield services and energy technology companies, Baker Hughes. It supports traditional exploration and extraction while also developing the latest energy equipment. As such, it stands in both the 'old' and 'new' spheres of the energy sector. Mr Simonelli talks to Fidelity International's Global Head of Investment Research Ned Salter about the pros and cons of natural gas at a time of political upheaval and the trade offs he faces while balancing energy security with emissions targets. Listen to the analysis of this interview by Fidelity's investment team here. Watch video clips and read bonus material from the interview here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What can investors learn from the trade offs an energy CEO is facing and the choices he's making? Fidelity's experts go over the highlights from the interview with Baker Hughes Chief Executive Lorenzo Simonelli, providing context and investment implications. Ned Salter, Global Head of Investment Research, is joined by Analyst and Portfolio Manager Paul Gooden and Portfolio Manager Rosanna Burcheri. Listen to the full interview with Lorenzo Simonelli here. Watch video clips and read bonus material from the interview here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feeding 8 billion people with limited arable land is one of the modern world's most pressing headaches. Add to that a growing concern over the impact intensified farming practices can have on local ecosystems and biodiversity and you get a sense of the challenges facing a company like Bayer. Founded in the mid-19th century, Bayer is one of Germany's oldest companies. Originally a pure pharmaceuticals manufacturer it diversified into crop science with the purchase of the agribusiness Monsanto in 2019. Its chief executive, Werner Baumann, has overseen that shift and with it the juggling of food security, conservation, and the welfare of farmers and consumers worldwide. In this second instalment of Trade Offs, Mr Baumann talks to Fidelity International's Global Head of Investment Research Ned Salter about he works to align those issues and what Bayer is doing to boost crop yields while remaining environmentally and socially sustainable. Listen to the analysis of this interview by Fidelity's investment team here. Watch video clips and read bonus material from the interview here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Fidelity's investment team take a closer look at some of the highlights from the interview with Bayer's chief executive Werner Baumann. Ned Salter, Global Head of Investment Research, is joined by Equity Research Analyst Panpan Xiao and Portfolio Manager Dmitry Solomakhin. Listen to the whole interview here. Watch video clips and read bonus material here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As chief executive of one of the world's largest financial institutions for more than a decade Brian Moynihan has led Bank of America through some tumultuous times. The shift from shareholder to stakeholder capitalism - accelerated by the Great Financial Crisis, heightening environmental challenges, and a global pandemic - has demanded careful stewardship, and all against a backdrop of increasing political upheaval.  He talks to Fidelity International's Global Head of Investment Research Ned Salter about how he balances the needs of all stakeholders and the trade offs he faces in guiding Bank of America and the companies it works with on a credible path to sustainability. Listen to the analysis of this interview by Fidelity's investment team here. Watch video clips and read bonus material from the interview here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Fidelity's investment team take a closer look at some of the highlights from the interview with Bank of America's chief executive Brian Moynihan. Ned Salter, Global Head of Investment Research, is joined by Senior Cross Asset Financials Analyst Lee Sotos and Portfolio Manager Rosanna Burcheri. Listen to the whole interview here. Watch video clips and read bonus material here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the World Economic Forum in Davos comes to a close, Fidelity's Richard Edgar talks to Chief Executive Anne Richards about her takeaways from the week including the international approach to Ukraine, central bank messaging, and why business leaders are allowing themselves a (tentative) sigh of relief.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tune in for a new series that gets under the bonnet of business and sustainability. From finance to energy to agriculture, how do business leaders balance the needs of all stakeholders and what are the trade offs they have to make in the process? Ned Salter, Global Head of Investment Research at Fidelity International, interviews chief executives in critical sectors about the difficult decisions they face when it comes to ESG. Episode One with Bank of America's Brian Moynihan coming soon to Fidelity Answers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For our festive special Richard Edgar is joined by Head of Equities for Asia Pacific Marty Dropkin, Portfolio Manager Aditya Khowala, and Global Macro Economist Anna Stupnytska to answer your questions.  If you’ve been inspired to send in a question, our inbox is still open! You can send your questions to editorial@fil.com, and we’ll pick the best ones to put to our investment team in the new year. Looking forward to hearing from you. You can hear more from Marty Dropkin in the latest Investors Guide to China podcast here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.