It looks like 2018 is off to a solid start in the Eurozone. After the strong industrial production print for December 2017, growing 5.2% year-on-year, PMI data this week continued to register high levels of growth in the manufacturing sector.

Ongoing economic strength and tax reform are fuelling corporate profits in the US for companies large and small. Meanwhile, wage growth and rising input costs are putting pressure on margins.

The developed Asian industrial cycle appears to have hit a soft patch, with activity moderating in the fourth quarter in key economies such as Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. An industrial wobble would be particularly untimely given expectations for a healthy developed market cycle lifting activity and driving investment across the region.

Finally, some good news on UK productivity growth. An expansion of 0.8% in 2017 Q4, coming on the back of a 0.9% pick-up in the previous quarter, topped the strongest six-month growth period since before the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). It has been a long time coming. The UK has lagged its counterparts on productivity for decades, but has fallen further behind since the GFC. So is this a new dawn, or a false one? And why does it matter?

The minutes from the Federal Reserve’s January meeting helped push the yield on the 10-year US Treasury to just shy of 3%.

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.

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.