M&G Investments

Equity markets lost steam in August as central banks re-emphasised their commitment to tackling inflation, despite the risks to growth. Meanwhile, energy supply constraints have worsened in Europe following the loss of key Russian gas supplies. Gas prices have cooled in September, but remain stubbornly high. With the winter months fast approaching, can governments, businesses and consumers avoid the worst outcomes?  Investment Specialist, Kirsty Clark reviews recent market performance and comments on the deepening energy supply crisis in Europe.

What a difference a year makes. If in the summer of 2021 consumer price increases were considered a temporary phenomenon and not much to worry about, this year it is hard to ignore the pinch of the rise in the cost of living. Rising inflation has hurt stockmarkets as well, and investors are searching for assets that could potentially withstand better than others the corrosive effect of generalised price rises.

As markets, central banks, governments and consumers alike try to adjust to levels of inflation not seen for decades, there is one stream of RPI-linked income that is potentially very attractive to the UK government right now – student loans.

In episode one of M&G’s ‘Are we there yet?’, Randeep Somel, fund manager at M&G Investments, explores some of the sectors that are set to capitalise on the net-zero transition and explains how far we are from achieving our goals.  

In the latest thinking from M&G's Equity Research team, Michael Rae, Global Energy Analyst, answers key questions on the topic of stranded asset risk at the major oil companies by presenting our opinion on several debates.

We are repeatedly being asked whether the current value rally is a blip or the long-awaited comeback. The answer is of course “we don’t know”. Any true value investor, unlike our growth cousins, is always wary of pretending to know very much about the future. But given we keep getting asked the question we probably should at least try to answer it. 

Global equities delivered the worst monthly return in April since the beginning of the pandemic, and correlated sell offs across equity and bond markets have continued into May. Investors are weighing the prospects of recession as central banks tighten the screws to tackle inflation. Inflationary pressures are driving up input prices whilst companies are still dealing with sporadic supply-side pressures. Building supply-chain resilience is firmly on the agenda of governments and companies alike. Investment Specialist, Kirsty Clark reviews recent market performance and looks at how companies are improving supply-chain resilience.  

Fabiana Fedeli, Chief Investment Officer of M&G’s Equities and Multi Asset division, takes a closer look at US equities at the one-year mark of Joe Biden’s presidency.

Global stockmarkets in general have fallen sharply so far in 2022, with investors rattled by the Federal Reserve’s plans to raise interest rates. One of the few parts of the market that has been able to defy this trend and hold above water is European value stocks.

In the past few years, both individuals and institutions have been increasingly considering the social and environmental impact of their investments, alongside the financial prospects. This has taken place against a backdrop of uncertainty within global financial markets that has been driven in large part by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Risk assets tumbled in November as markets digested the likely impact of the COVID-19 ‘Omicron’ variant. The good news is that corporates are in decent shape heading into 2022, but a number of risks remain. Investment Specialist, Kirsty Clark reviews recent market performance and the challenges contributing to rising uncertainty into year-end.

Watch John William, Fund manager of the M&G Positive Impact fund as he looks back over the last three years and the latest within the impact space.

Two thirds of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at risk of not being met – M&G’s latest SDG Reckoning report finds.

Highlights from the “Carbon capture – no longer a pipe dream?” virtual event

TIER is Europe’s leading shared micro-mobility provider enabling cities to create more sustainable environments

 In 2020, the impact of the pandemic on the US labour market was unprecedented, with the unemployment rate in the country hitting 14.8% at its peak and the number of unemployed soaring, from some 7 million to over 23 million. In this brief note we take a close look at the US labour market today and discuss why it is important for investors to watch in the coming months.

Ahead of COP26, we asked four of our sustainability and impact investing experts – Ben Constable-Maxwell, Rachel Roddy, Randeep Somel and John William Olsen – to discuss the upcoming climate change summit. Join us as we launch our ‘Countdown to COP26’ investment insights video series discussing key industry themes

As we approach the last quarter of 2021, we believe that these are likely to be the main areas of focus for investors over the next 12 months