Viewpoints

Previously considered a niche strategy, quality investing is popular today for a simple reason – it has worked. While there are many nuances in defining a quality company, we focus on five convictions that we believe separate us from other managers.

This latest article from Fixed Income explores the potential of Emerging Markets (EM) in the current economic landscape, despite significant outflows and perceived risks. Despite outflows and perceived risks, EMs offer promising opportunities for fixed income investors.

Former journalists are a key part of the Quality Growth approach. Their unique skill set brings fresh perspective and sparks healthy debate during the research process. This has been shown to help identify trends ahead of the market, avoid potentially costly investment mistakes, and test new and existing investment rationales.

Child labor and imposing unnecessary medical procedures on women were recently identified in the sugar industry in India. While multinationals such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola are not directly linked to poor labor conditions, they can affect change. As active investors, we engage with our portfolio companies on these important issues.

Quality investing in the fixed income sector is as much about making sure that we avoid the losers as it is about trying to pick the winners.

Quality companies can keep pace with bull markets due to above-average profitability and consistent growth prospects. In bear markets, investors flock to quality companies as their stable earnings and strong balance sheets can minimize drawdowns. While now may be the time for quality, this style can perform well in different market regimes.

The beginning of a new year is often when we look to change the way we behave, but how we invest can also influence our behavior. From inspiring confidence to encouraging discipline, our Chief Economist, Dr Reto Cueni examines how investing in quality can have positive effects on investor behavior.

Fresh water is an essential but scarce resource, plentiful in some regions and sparse in others. On World Water Day, our Chief Economist Reto Cueni examines the global risk landscape related to water scarcity, and possible solutions to alleviate a growing problem.

Is ESG simply a different label for quality or could quality stand as a less controversial and politically sensitive description of highly sustainable companies? The question of whether ESG characteristics of listed companies form a new independent factor and a distinctive source of returns is an important one to address.

The end of rising interest rates in Europe and the US, attractive yields, and lower-than-expected default rates mean investors can get higher income without taking on as much risk as they had to in the past. In our view, less volatile, high quality fixed income products are poised for strong performance in 2024.

A company’s competitive advantages are referred to as its moat. Far from castles and the countryside, it is important to analyze the strength and durability of a company’s moat before investing. Since moats can be wide or narrow and change over time, competitive advantages must be constantly monitored.

Many US investors are overweight domestic versus international strategies for the wrong reasons – home bias and benchmark anchoring. In our view, investors should focus on great companies, regardless of where they are domiciled. An active international strategy can help US investors expand their opportunity set, diversify risks, and improve their portfolio returns.

Japan’s economic success story after World War II was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. But it didn’t last, resulting in the “Lost Decade” and China subsequently taking its place as the world’s second-largest economy. Comparing the Japan of yesteryear with today’s China raises the question whether China could soon face a similar fate.

Adding women to corporate boards can improve the impact a board has on company performance. Yet progress has been slow. Companies that recruit former CFOs and CEOs simply cannot find enough female board members. Expanding talent pools can bring more women into the fold.

Over the last decade investors have been forced to broaden their horizons, but many investors continue to overlook Emerging Market Local Currency Debt. Our Fixed income team offers five reasons why you should think about giving emerging markets local currency a more permanent allocation in your investment portfolio.

We believe answers to critical questions about weight loss drugs will help determine the sustainability of success that some pharmaceutical stocks have enjoyed: How many people will be on the drug, and at what price? Which pharma company will be the winner of the R&D race?

After some troubled years, bonds are back. In a big way. Our team explains the reasons why we believe bonds are poised to be one of the most attractive risk/reward propositions of the coming year.

Over time the definition of quality has broadened and become subject to a variety of interpretations, with sometimes significant divergence in the performance of quality strategies depending on market conditions.

Is a company that sells a $300 t-shirt a better investment than one that sells a $10 t-shirt? The answer lies in the strength of a company’s brand and, in turn, its pricing power. Or course, profit margins are an important consideration.

David Souccar, portfolio manager and senior research analyst, explains why, in the quest for quality, your portfolio shopping basket would be incomplete without a trip to the international aisle.

Many overlook ESG criteria in the Emerging Markets sector, but this is missing a key opportunity it can offer: by reducing volatility, its application may make EM debt more attractive to those interested in the space but avoid it nonetheless due to political and other risks.

Welcome to this year’s first edition of mtx perspectives, which will highlight interesting developments across the world of global emerging markets. We start with a look at the digital revolution in Latin America.

The regulatory environment for ESG has been shifting, and this means new rules of the road regarding labelling and reporting. What can we expect to see in 2024 and in the near-term?

We believe that in the wake of current energy security concerns, the energy transition has gathered impressive momentum and is now at an inflection point. What does this mean for investors?