The trajectory of US debt-to-GDP has sharply increased in recent decades, driven by significant fiscal stimulus in response to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and COVID-19 pandemic. Deficit spending remains elevated compared to typical levels outside of economic crises or wars, with official estimates predicting continued escalation, particularly if Trump’s presidential campaign promises are fulfilled. […]
November 2024
Integrating net zero across our firm is a journey, not an event. The way the investment world understands climate has been steadily evolving, and as the industry has developed its thinking, we have been evolving our processes and capabilities. Nearly 20% of our clients by assets have included net zero objectives in their investment policy, […]
November 2024
Infrastructure investments have generated attractive returns in recent years and helped stabilize portfolios due to their ability to generate inflation-protected returns across various economic environments. The asset class has grown rapidly and offers investors a way to capitalize on secular themes like decarbonization and digitization. Growing demand in areas such as energy transition and telecommunications […]
November 2024
No, we do not expect Japanese mid-/large-cap equities to outperform their global peers despite some supportive factors, such as Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) reforms and inflows from security investment schemes. Japanese equities tend to underperform in global activity slowdowns and contractions, and current valuations do not offer sufficient compensation to bear that risk, given our […]
October 2024
Introduction Aaron Costello, Regional Head for Asia, and Vivian Gan, Associate Investment Director, Capital Markets Research With the global economy showing signs of cooling and Chinese economic momentum remaining weak, the outlook for Asian markets is increasingly mixed. Certain markets have been more resilient, such as India, where domestic growth is still robust, and Taiwan, […]
September 2024
Yes, investors should diversify in a risk-controlled manner, as mega-cap tech stocks have delivered exceptional fundamentals but are expensive and represent an outsized share of the equity markets. Investors should diversify concentration risk by leaning into more attractively valued segments of the market, namely developed markets small-cap and value stocks. Over the last 15 years, […]
September 2024
The Federal Reserve has reduced the target range for the federal funds rate by 50 basis points (bps) to 4.75%–5.00%, the first reduction in over four years. This decision, while anticipated, marks a pivotal shift in monetary policy. The Fed also released updated economic projections, which highlighted it expects to reduce interest rates by a […]
September 2024
Yes, we believe that private investment in climate solutions would continue apace in a second Trump administration, given strong demand for clean energy, supportive and resilient US government policies, and robust investment opportunities that will continue to be attractive to many investors. Long-term capital flows into climate solutions reflect market-driven structural tailwinds. The drivers of […]
September 2024