The 15 years since the start of the Global Financial Crisis have been a difficult time for Value as illustrated in Fig. 1. We show below that this underperformance has largely been driven by low inflation and government bond yields.
Amanda Young is joined by colleagues to explore what we can expect to see on the sustainability agenda for 2022.
In this episode recorded on 22 February 2022 we look at the rapidly changing developments between Russia and Ukraine and explore the potential longer term geopolitical consequences.
The Russia-Ukraine crisis is progressing at a rapid pace, and recent developments suggest that a military conflict is increasingly likely. Needless to say, there is a large degree of uncertainty about what form this would take.
Recent market conditions have presented challenges for quality-focused investors. After years in the doldrums, lower-quality, cyclical companies are enjoying a moment in the sun. However, over a longer investment time-horizon (three to five years), value rallies like this one tend to fade.
Over the past 10 years of abrdn global smaller companies investing, we’ve argued that small caps are too big to ignore. Although they account for just 15% of global benchmarks, small caps represent about 70% of global listed companies.
Inflation has surged to 7% in the US and 5% in Europe, and higher prices have now been in the system for a year. With higher readings also seeding higher expectations, is inflation starting to look less transitory?
Inflation continues to surge, having reached 7% in the US and nearing 5% in Europe. A major contributor to higher inflation of late has been oil prices, which have surged by over 50% in the past year as consumption outpaced production.
Omicron is more infectious but less virulent, reducing its impact on economies…
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?