Fund manager Thembeka Stemala Dagbo discusses how motherhood has provided her with important new perspectives, why she sees a strong future for diversity and inclusion investing and discovers whether the Dream Machine offers cocktails.
Richard Woolnough shares what set him on the path of a career in investments. We discover why he switched from equities to bonds, and from sales-side to buy-side and his thoughts on active versus passive. But does he carry out the same risk-reward assessment when it comes to is approach to ‘full fat vs diet’ coke?
A dramatic power outage in Spain and Portugal in April 2025 starkly revealed our dependence on electricity infrastructure. Alex Araujo and Michael Rae explore the resilience of power grids and how the shift towards renewable electricity generation could create investment opportunities for infrastructure businesses.
Private markets have been firmly embraced by investors over recent years, their role in potentially enhancing investment returns now well understood. But perhaps they have an additional and equally important role. Portfolio diversification is a key objective in portfolio management. Simon Sharp examines whether private markets are set to disrupt traditional approaches to diversification and further boost the appeal of this growing asset class.
In this debut episode, fund manager Alex Araujo shares the pivotal moment when a Canadian bond sparked his interest in the financial world. He delves into his experience of joining M&G Investments, highlighting the challenges and triumphs of launching and managing a global listed infrastructure fund and discusses why investing in toll roads has proven to be so rewarding. Alex also introduces the intriguing concept of the Dream Machine, offering a glimpse into its origins. Wunderbar!
A more thoughtful and far-reaching set of stimulus measures by the Chinese authorities has nullified some of the negative perception among global investors when it comes to China. David Perrett, Co-Head of Asia Pacific Equities, suggests that the continued caution could be creating some compelling long-term opportunities for stockpickers. He explains why he thinks Chinese equities have the potential to become one of the investment stories of the next decade.
Finance professionals dedicate significant time to scrutinising companies' financial statements. It’s fundamental to ensuring financial performance is accurately reflected. As companies increasingly set climate targets, applying the same level of rigour to analysing emissions data becomes essential – but this is no easy process. Emissions accounting is fraught with complexities and inconsistencies. We explore the key challenges investors face, and the steps they can take to overcome them.
Vol-Agility: Agile investing in volatile times
Equity income was once a popular and well-established investment strategy, offering investors a chance to capture the power of compounded dividend appreciation over the long-term. In recent years, however, it has been somewhat overshadowed by the outperformance of growth stocks largely led by US technology stocks. Capital gains took a precedence during the post-Global Financial Crisis era of ultra-low interest rates and quantitative easing measures implemented by central banks. Now we find ourselves in a very different environment, we believe the forgotten art of dividend investing could be making a comeback.
Cuteness and investments are two words that are rarely paired together in the same sentence, but one of Japan’s most recognisable cultural and iconic exports stands out in its potential to deliver growth beyond current market imagination. To mark Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary, Investment Director, Sunny Romo, sat down with Valentina Luo, an Analyst in the Asia Pacific equities team, to discuss the elements of the successful investment story in Sanrio, the creator of the much-loved feline character.
The Great Escape… of UK Unemployment Reporting
Since the onset of the year, Chinese authorities have embarked on strategic measures to stabilize the capital market and bolster economic growth. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has taken significant steps, including a 50 basis point cut in the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) – the largest since 2021 — followed by a historic 25 basis point decrease in the 5-year Loan Prime Rate (LPR). These policy actions have significantly boosted market sentiment, as reflected in the recent uplift in the Chinese stock market. These measures also align with our expectation of a supportive policy landscape in China for 2024.
In an era of economic uncertainty and volatility, the importance of managing national debt has never been more evident. Investors seek stability and long-term growth opportunities, so the spotlight turns towards countries with low outstanding debt.
It's not lost on any investor that nearly half the world's population is set to participate in elections this year, with a select few anticipated to significantly alter a country's trajectory. With this in mind, we ask, do corruption perception trends matter to investors?
Our nature and biodiversity insights series covers a range of topics that are central to solving the nature and biodiversity crisis, while highlighting the opportunities for investors to make positive contributions. In this article, Adam Pinfold, Michael Rae and Ben Constable-Maxwell consider the risks of our current unsustainable water use, alongside some of the potential solutions.
2023 was tough for Asian equities. Investor sentiment was kept in check by the Fed’s ongoing interest rate rises and the strength of the US dollar.
Energy transition: Beyond renewables
Just a few months ago, you had to take great care with bonds in a context of inflation. But now investors should be opting for this asset class, says Stefan Isaacs, Deputy CIO Public Fixed Income at M&G.