China’s vast army of gig workers is the backbone of the country’s digital economy, powering consumption and logistics infrastructure. Despite offering flexibility and opportunity, the gig economy also presents challenges such as weak labour protection and income insecurity. David Perrett, Co-Head of Asian Equities, and Fuyao Wang, Sustainable Investment Analyst, assess whether evolving corporate practices could potentially make China’s digital platform economy more sustainable.
As many countries attempt to phase out fossil fuels, electric vehicles (EVs) have become ubiquitous – and China is leading the way. Sitting at the intersection of technology, sustainability, and global growth, the Chinese EV sector is an emblem of China’s global ambitions.
Despite global volatility and geopolitical tensions, David Perrett discusses how Asia’s markets—particularly Korea and Taiwan—delivered strong returns in Q2 2025. Against this challenging macroeconomic background he also highlights potential stock picking opportunities across the region.
What is driving the resurgence of investor interest in emerging markets after a decade marked by political and economic challenges? Recent policy uncertainty under President Trump has rekindled interest in regions beyond the US, as investors reassess global opportunities amid faltering US exceptionalism. Find out which countries are benefitting from currency shifts and corporate governance reforms, presenting compelling options for those seeking diversification away from US-centric investments, as the ‘great rotation’ gains momentum.
Recent turbulence emanating from the US has demonstrated a change in attitudes. Despite evident volatility, the dollar weakened, contrary to what would typically be expected in times of stress. The perception of risk between emerging markets and developed markets are no longer black and white. So, are investors now rethinking emerging markets?
The weakness of the US dollar this year has been unexpected as tariffs were widely expected to lead to the dollar strengthening. Tristan Hanson, Multi Asset Fund Manager, explores the factors that determine currency movements, from capital flows to interest rate differentials. While bearishness about the US dollar has increased, he suggests investors should be appropriately sceptical of the stories used to explain exchange rate movements.
Is now the right time to buy Europe with valuations cheap and corporate growth prospects on the up? Watch this Asset TV Masterclass with Bhavneet Ahluwalia, Investment Specialist, to find out how active fund managers are picking stocks against a backdrop of human conflict, market volatility and Trump's tariffs. Discover why mid-caps are back and how previously unloved sectors like defense, materials, and chemicals are making a comeback.
The historic relationship between the US dollar and Treasury yields has been broken. Typically in times of crisis, Treasury yields fall, while the greenback strengthens. Now, we are seeing the dollar tumble, while Treasury yields are rising – a signal that investors’ unshakeable faith in the US as a safe haven has begun to crumble.
In early 2025, markets faced volatility, geopolitical shifts, and sector rotations. However, dividend growth investing remained a steady strategy, emphasising income and capital growth, according to Stuart Rhodes, Global Equity Income Fund Manager. While portfolios were adjusted for resilience and opportunity – balancing tech exposure with defensive quality – flexibility and valuation discipline guided decisions amid uncertainty, aiming for long-term, sustainable returns.
The year started with renewed geopolitical tensions, rising tariffs, and persistent inflation concerns, setting the stage for a volatile year across global markets. For credit investors, such an environment creates uncertainty but also opportunity - particularly for those with a disciplined, value-oriented approach.
European equities are experiencing a renaissance so far in 2025 and are ahead of US stocks by a wide margin. Richard Halle, manager of the M&G European ex UK Strategy, which takes a value approach to investing, explores what’s making European markets great again, in his view, and asks: could this be the start of an exciting new era for value investing in Europe?
With integration of climate factors increasingly becoming standard practice for financial firms, investors are increasingly paying attention to nature – and with good reason. Nature is no longer an overlooked issue, it’s an emerging pillar of fiduciary duty with real-world financial materiality. However, much like the early work in climate, this shift brings complexity, uncertainty, and opportunity. This joint blog demonstrates how data-driven insights can help assess financial materiality of nature-related risks and opportunities in investment portfolios leveraging the full wealth of available data.
After enjoying a powerful rally in recent years, AI and technology stocks have had a volatile start to 2025. Concerns about the impact of tariffs, growing competition, and the uncertain pace of AI adoption have evolved to be key issues for this critical sector. Following the latest quarterly earnings season, fund managers Jeffrey Lin and Thomas Lee reveal some of the key developments in the AI landscape and explain why they are optimistic about the potential growth and innovation in the sector.
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.