Equities

The pace of progress in AI is extraordinary. But will it displace popular music or broader media in the near term? We continue to monitor developments closely, particularly in hybrid human-AI creative workflows, evolving rights frameworks, and new monetization models that could shift competitive dynamics over time.

Are there lessons we can already learn from April’s blackout in Spain and Portugal? We believe so. Electrification lies at the heart of the energy transition. With increased investment, resilience can improve and alongside increased storage capacity, we can unlock the potential of the grid.

In our latest Quality Conversations videos, discover how quality companies—those with strong franchises, pricing power, and unlevered balance sheets—can thrive in uncertain markets. By navigating inflation, shifting economic cycles, and interest rate volatility, these "masters of their own destiny" appear to offer resilience and long-term growth potential.

The US dollar’s reign is faltering, and we believe a prolonged dollar bear market is underway – a scenario that has historically been a tailwind for emerging market economic growth and asset valuations. However, not all emerging equity markets respond equally to the dollar’s decline.

Markets inevitably shift, but global diversification endures. A thoughtfully constructed portfolio that combines leading US and non-US companies can offer meaningful advantages to long-term investors: enhanced performance potential, compelling valuations and access to growth industries where the US lags.

You can now watch the replay of our webinar “Steering through tougher conditions: finding resilience in quality”.

The AI boom has increased demand for data centers, but US electric utilities lack the capacity to power them. This has led to a rise in self-generation solutions, benefiting companies like Schneider Electric and National Grid. The issue was a key theme at the recent Data Center Dynamics trade show.

Adaptation solutions are becoming more popular given the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events. While we see the benefits, we urge investors to remember that prevention is better than cure, and mitigation remains vital if we are to ensure a better future for all.

Are traditional factors falling behind? In this Expl(AI)ning Quanta Byte, we explore how AI can breathe new life into factor investing. Discover the concept of AI-powered factors—a smarter, more adaptive approach that turns static models into predictive engines.

Uncertainty and volatility in today’s environment have highlighted the benefits of our disciplined Quality Growth philosophy, focused on proven businesses with inherent resilience and durability. Given the narrow tailwinds from the prior two years, select quality companies are attractively valued given their defensive growth characteristics.

As the exuberance we’ve seen over the past few years fades, our Quality Growth team looks to find resilience in industries that are shielded from the effects of tariffs and the volatility around AI.

Emerging market (EM) equities are more domestically driven than commonly assumed. Companies in the MSCI EM Index derive over 60% of revenues in their home markets. And they could further reduce their dependence on exports in the future. We illustrate the reasons.

How do you build the perfect portfolio? Portfolio construction is a little like gourmet cooking, where quality ingredients are combined to create a balanced meal. Portfolio Manager David Souccar reveals our view on what’s at the heart of that delicate balance between risk and return.

Investigative analyst Zhen Li recently attended the Shanghai’s second Global Developer Conference. Zhen’s on-the-ground research reveals concerns about the viability and sustainability of DeepSeek’s model given the intense competition in China's AI sector and lack of clarity around monetization of AI models.

The driving force behind this performance is the Chinese tech sector, fuelled by hopes that a larger adoption of AI could boost earnings. A confirmation of improved earnings, the resurgence of consumption confidence and sequential stabilization of the overall economy will be needed to solidify and extend the recent rally.

Energy and resource efficiency is often underappreciated, but it has played a pivotal role in driving global emissions lower. Explore how we can benefit from the diverse opportunity set that efficiency brings, and why we believe its importance is set to continue.

Factor investing has long explained market behavior, but its flaws—timing dependencies, rigid linearity, and backward-looking assumptions—limit predictive power. Can AI overcome these? This Expl(AI)ning episode dissects factor evolution, their pitfalls, and how machine learning enables dynamic models. Dive into quantitative investing’s future.

People and organizations demonstrate their moral compass in challenging conditions. In 1999, portfolio manager Ed Walczak made a tough call to stick to his investment principles. Despite the pressure to conform to the market trend, he chose to invest in undervalued insurance companies, a decision that paid off when the internet bubble burst.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our world at breakneck speed to boost its users’ productivity gains in various industries. The associated need for innovation, resources, and infrastructure investments, reinforced by politics and demographics, positions the providers of convincing solutions as potential future winners.

Is the tech market’s bull run, much like a steamroller, starting to reverse course? Efficiency gains recently announced by DeepSeek have raised questionsabout the commoditization of LLMs and the potential overinvestment in data centers, shifts that could significantly impact the industry and investors.

The massive efficiencies achieved by DeepSeek’s recently launched Large Language Model have prompted investors to reevaluate the power, data center, and chip requirements for the development of AI models. As AI becomes more widely adopted, we identify companies poised to benefit.

Shares in Nvidia and ASML have plummeted due to concerns that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek's new model could disrupt the current AI business model. DeepSeek's R1 model, released on January 20, exhibits performance similar to top US large language models (LLMs), but at a fraction of the cost.

2025 is poised to be another positive yet complex year for equities. Balancing core positions in industries driven by secular trends – like semiconductors, AI hyperscalers, and the energy transition – with opportunistic exposures that can benefit from cyclical or policy-induced rebounds can help navigate the challenges ahead.

AI has dominated games like chess and Go, but the markets are far more complex. In our latest Expl(AI)ning article, we explore why investing’s complexity remains unmatched, where AI stands today, and what’s next for finance.