Ageing populations in the west causing shrinking of the workforce, mismatches in jobs and qualifications, and the rise of new technology is all contributing to the transformation of the labour markets, according to PGIM’s latest megatrends report. Participant:• Jakob Wilhelmus, director at PGIM’s Thematic Research group Moderator:• Julia Newbould, managing editor at Conexus Financial

Greater access to information from companies and associations on geospatial analysis combined with the acceleration and exponential destruction of the ecosystem has prompted biodiversity to becoming a hot topic in making investment decisions. Conexus Financial managing editor Julia Newbould talks to Newton Investment Management global head of sustainable investment Therese Niklasson 

Our food system needs to be more productive and sustainable with increased demand, changing diets and an outdated production system. According to PGIM thematic research group director Jakob Wilhelmus, there are two main challenges in the food chain right now – our current food system is outdated and secondly the devastating impact on the environment and climate change.

Last year was a terrible year for growth equity investing but 2023 will be a year they can shine, as long as interest rates stabilise, according to Raj Shant, London-based managing director and equity portfolio specialist at Jennison Associates, which is a fundamental equities manager owned by PGIM.

Balanced portfolios will be more volatile without the “natural hedge” provided by a negative correlation between stocks and bonds, but diversification will remain a powerful tool to protect portfolios, according to Noah Weisberger, managing director in the Institutional Advisory & Solutions group at PGIM.

With volatility a strong theme of markets and economies over 2022, some investors have de-risked their portfolios and lost their stomach for riskier emerging markets investments but Alex Khosla, emerging markets and Asia equities portfolio manager at sustainable investment manager Newton Investment Management, argues emerging markets still offer value if you know how to find it.

The world is experiencing the results of an underinvestment in traditional oil/gas energy infrastructure which was compounded by Covid- 19, when some companies believed that peak oil demand had arrived pulling back even more on investment, then came the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and the disruption is overlaid with the longer-term focus on energy transition. David Winans, principal and credit analyst for PGIM Fixed Income’s US investment grade credit research team and Julia Newbould,...

Tom Nelson, head of thematic equity at Ninety One, talks to Conexus Financial managing editor Julia Newbould about the extent of the shock to energy markets through the Ukraine War and how it will impact the transition to clean energy and how portfolio managers can invest in renewables and achieve carbon zero targets in this volatile market.

A shift towards positive correlation between stocks and bonds is likely, and this phenomenon could persist for many years if history is a guide and this could lead to a “much more volatile world” for those trying to maintain balanced portfolios and may force investors to either raise their risk budgets or lower their return expectations, according to Dr Noah Weisberger, managing director at PGIM IAS group.

Richard Bullock, senior geopolitical strategist at Newton Investment Management and Julia Newbould, managing editor at Conexus Financial talk about today’s economic environment. They discuss how it is the time for geopolitical strategists to start using all their tools – there is war in Ukraine and Russia, ongoing tensions between China and Taiwan, a change in world order, a move towards global energy transition and the emergence of a new financial system across various economies – and the...

CEO Bernard Reilly and chair Don Luke of Australian Retirement Trust joined us at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium in June 2022 for a fireside chat on how the fund is adapting and progressing post-merger, and what is next on the agenda for Australia’s newest mega fund. This session was hosted by Michael Baldwin, global head of external relationships & deputy CEO, Conexus Financial.

In this live recording from the Fiduciary Investors Symposium in June 2022, BHP chief executive, Mike Henry, explores the growing role of mined commodities in the global energy transition. This fireside chat was hosted by Amanda White, director of institutional content, Conexus Financial.

Michelle Teng, vice president and co-head of the private assets research program in PGIM’s Institutional Advisory & Solutions (IAS) group, speaks with Julia Newbould, acting editor at Investment Magazine about how climate change and early release schemes can affect super funds and the wider economy.

Junying Shen, vice president and co-head of the private assets research program in the Institutional Advisory & Solutions (IAS) group at PGIM, speaks with Amanda White, editor of Top1000Funds.com (Investment Magazine’s sister publication), on how historical performance and cash flow characteristics differ enormously among infrastructure asset sectors.

In episode 122, Investment Magazine's Amanda White speaks with Michelle Teng, vice president of PGIM's Institutional Advisory & Solutions group.

In episode 121, Investment Magazine's Matthew Smith speaks with Aaron Grehan, deputy head of Emerging Market Debt and hard currency portfolio manager, Aviva Investors.

In episode 120, Investment Magazine's Amanda White speaks with Taimur Hyat, chief operating officer at PGIM.

In episode 119, Investment Magazine's Amanda White speaks with Harsh Parikh, principal in the Institutional Advisory & Solutions group at PGIM.

In episode 118, Investment Magazine's Matthew Smith speaks with David Breach, president and chief operating officer at Vista Equity Partners.

In this special edition and final episode, Laurence Parker-Brown interviews Alex Proimos, head of institutional content at Investment Magazine. The episode covers the motivation for the Market Narratives and whether it achieved its objectives. We discuss what is unique about the style of the series and which episode would Alex pitch to a first-time listener. We cover are there any guests that you would like to go back and reinterview or any new guests that you would have liked to have...

In episode 117, Alex Proimos speaks with Paul McNamara, investment director at GAM. This episode discusses the comparative risk between emerging markets and developed markets, particularly when the United States is experiencing an uptick in inflation and a stronger dollar. We talk about the impact of Europe and China on emerging markets. We compare the asset classes of emerging market debt to high yield debt in the developed markets. Finally, we discuss hedging and ESG on emerging market...

In episode 116, Alex Proimos speaks with Matthew Keeley, chief executive of Grow Inc. This episode opens with Matt's background and the transition from Grow super into Grow Inc. We discuss their evolution from a white label technology provider to superannuation funds to their deal to provide fund administration services to Vanguard Super and their strategic development agreement that they signed with the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Our conversation also covers the growing importance...

In episode 115, Alex Proimos speaks with Michael Lebbon, founder of Emmi. This episode discusses the decoupling of global growth from carbon emissions. We delve into the evolution of carbon price and credits and how negative screening of industries and sectors is not only counterproductive to the transition to net-zero. We also discuss financial carbon risk and its expected relationship to expected returns and how portfolio managers can use an understanding of carbon as a risk mitigator.

In episode 114, Alex Proimos speaks with Andrew Naylor, regional chief executive, APAC ex-China, World Gold Council. This episode goes into the impact of the Basel III changes regarding gold as an asset on bank balance sheets. We discuss the recent global investment trends such as the ETF flows and the increasing institutional interest, and the recent consumer trends in China and India. We then delve into the role of gold in investment portfolios and the drivers of value. Finally, we cover...