Aberdeen Standard

Nearly a year ago, our first deep dive on women and work – Equality starts at home: paternity leave – identified the availability of sufficient parental leave as critical to boosting female participation in the workforce.

A quarterly summary of our fixed income investment team's views on some of the main themes driving global bond markets, and the investment outlook in light of these factors. 

Covid-19 has acted as a catalyst to expedite trends that were in place long before the pandemic emerged. Hybrid working arrangements and the digitalisation of working practices were already adopted by many organisations, in some cases for several decades. Material technological advances over the last five years have enabled us all to embrace more agile working, while retaining significant levels of connectivity and productivity outside of the office.

This week, Dan Grandage, global head of ESG for our private markets investments, discusses the many challenges and opportunities of net zero. He also introduces his innovative Impact Dial – which seeks to score the ESG performance of every asset.  

While not immediately obvious, ‘the Sage of Omaha’ and ‘Jopie’ have a lot in common – integrity, authenticity and a track-record of success. While investors will be familiar with Buffet’s proclamations, on the eve of a summer of soccer we’re turning to Cruyff’s words. After all, not only was he a titan on the football field, he is also credited with transforming Barcelona into a powerhouse of European football. So, what can we learn?

Climate change is one of the biggest issues facing the world today. Many governments, countries and industries have recognised the threat and are taking measures to try to counter it. Much depends on their success or failure. As asset managers, however, our primary interest is in the investment implications. 

There are a host of reasons why insurers should consider investing in infrastructure. Not only are there benefits for the industry, there are benefits for wider society too, as we report.

Quality investing means buying and holding a portfolio of quality companies. In Part I of our recent White Paper on the subject, we look at the reasons and influences behind quality stocks’ performance. One of the explanations comes from the area of behavioural psychology. The behavioural biases of the ‘average’ investor can drive performance patterns that create opportunities for more rational and astute market participants.

It feels like the investment world is divided into two camps at the moment. Are you a quality/growth investor or a value investor? You’re one or the other, so pick your team. And that’s as true in the UK equities market as anywhere else, right now.

A common perception about China is that understanding of ESG is rudimentary. That may have been true in the past. But it's not what we're seeing today. 

2020 saw returns of almost 9% from sterling Investment Grade bonds. This was quite a turnaround from March of last year, when coronavirus fears peaked and performance was the weakest since the global financial crisis. But with bond yields now close to 10-year lows, where do we go from here?

Investing in the right active strategy will be key as momentum for China’s V-shaped rebound moderates once the rest of the world recovers and Beijing normalises policy.

Right now, the investment industry feels awash with ESG – environmental, social and governance – messaging, products and services. But how can investors distinguish between asset managers with a truly integrated ESG approach and those with only limited capabilities?

The list of companies making deep pledges on the environment is growing longer by the day. About one-quarter of Fortune 500 businesses now have carbon-neutral targets, with heavyweights such as Danone, Unilever and Vodafone leading the European charge.

December 2020 marked the fifth anniversary of the Paris Climate Agreement. For all the promises made during the talks, countries have already fallen woefully behind on their commitments to limit global warming. But could the narrative be shifting? We take a close look.

Many people have heard of greenwashing. However, definitions and practices remain vague. We take a look at this phenomenon and ask what it means for investors.

In the first session of our Climate Action Series, we are joined by Nigel Topping, Climate Action Champion for COP26, and Sir Douglas Flint, the Chairman of Standard Life Aberdeen. In this discussion, they examine the current climate change risks and the pressing need for action in the race to net-zero. They also highlight the policy and sector changes that are needed to tackle climate change. Governments, businesses, investors and customers have a collective responsibility to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

This week Will Goodhart, erstwhile journalist and now Chief Executive of the UK’s CFA, talks us through his fascinating responsible investment journey. This includes the CFA’s work to help investors understand ESG to the urgent need to view climate change from an investment perspective. He also discusses the exciting work he’s doing as part of the Impact Investing Institute.