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 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.
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.
Flexibility, amenity, connectivity, technology and sustainability (FACTS) are key for future-fit offices. Read more about our views.
Explore multi-asset opportunities beyond the Magnificent Seven with MyFolio.
Can sustainability and performance go hand-in-hand in risk-targeted investing?
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.
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.
The whole world is feeling the effects of Covid-19 and will do so for some time to come. But just as the coronavirus cripples some immune systems, and leaves others unscathed, the financial impact of containment measures will leave some better off and others destitute.
At ASI, two areas that typify our approach to ESG are European Equities and Emerging Market Debt. Over the next six articles, we will dig deeper into the respective teams’ beliefs, processes and portfolios – and show what this means for our clients. We hope you find it an enlightening journey.
In our fifth Responsible Investing podcast, we talk to Stephanie Kelly, Senior Political Economist in the Aberdeen Standard Investments Research Institute. In a wide-ranging interview, Steph talks us through her team’s innovative global Country ESG Index, discusses the huge importance of the upcoming US election and explains why she always carries her own straw. As we said: wide-ranging.
The world has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic this year. Most economic activity was suspended as many of us spent our days confined to our homes.
We highlight three courses of action for investors to navigate portfolios through the second half of 2020.