Sharing our convictions

Corporate hybrids are a type of bond issued by companies – they are known as hybrids because they combine certain features of debt and equity.

The last few weeks have seen former President Donald Trump establish a lead over current President Joe Biden across polls in the run-up to November’s US election. Even though it is early days and a lot can change before November (including the Democrat candidate), it is worth considering what a second Trump term might mean for the world economy and for fixed income markets.

Last month saw the European Central Bank (ECB) get their cutting cycle underway with a 25bp cut in the deposit rate to 3.75%. However, any expectations for a rapid series of reductions after the first move were tempered by President Christine Lagarde, who at the subsequent press conference was clear that the ECB could move in phases in which they left interest rates unchanged.

In this three-article series, we revisit covered call strategies. In this third article, we give a glimpse into our investment capabilities and provide readers with details on how to potentially capitalize on the opportunity.

There is little disagreement among investors and economists that the last few years have been highly unusual in many respects. An inflationary shock in developed markets, one of the fastest rate hiking cycles on record, the worst year in decades for government bonds (2022), and mild recessions with no movement in unemployment are just a few of the dynamics that have strayed from recent norms.

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.

After weeks of volatility following President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to call snap parliamentary elections in France, markets were breathing a sigh of cautious relief on Monday after the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) underperformed the polls.

One of the drivers of the dovish pivot from the Federal Reserve (Fed) in December was the acknowledgement that the risks to the policy outlook had become more two-sided. In other words, while higher rates were still needed to tame inflation, the Fed saw a risk that staying restrictive for too long and risk damaging a labour market that has so far shown remarkable resilience.

The forecast-defying strength of the US economy has been one of the key drivers of financial markets in recent quarters, but as economic prospects diverge, Europe is where we see the better relative value in fixed income today.

For any fixed income investors that follow the England football team, the plan for H2 2024 may feel somewhat familiar – no substitutions in the second half.

In this three-article series, we revisit covered call strategies. In this second article, we argue why covered calls offer a compelling way to play equities in the new decade (the “Why”).

Securitisation made its latest appearance in the mainstream financial press this week with the news that the European commercial mortgage-backed security (CMBS) market is set to experience its first losses on AAA bonds since the global financial crisis.

How will the upcoming U.S. election affect global markets? The latest Quanta Bytes by Quantitative Investments analyzes how US election outcomes influence equity markets, the link between candidate policies and investment performance, as well as our unique election prediction model.

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.

In this Back to Basics webinar, Gordon Shannon (Partner, Co-Head of Investment Grade) and Johnathan Owen (Portfolio Management) from our Investment grade team provided a comprehensive understanding of the key aspects of corporate hybrids.

The journey to corporate DEI has been challenging, with many expressing fatigue on the topic in the current climate, but it’s also been crucial. Why? It’s not just about fairness, it's smart business. Read the latest by our co-CEO Christel Rendu de Lint for the FT Moral Money Forum.

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.

Our latest papers explore the interplay between financial acumen, sustainability, and cognitive dimensions shaping ESG recommendations.

In this three-article series, we revisit covered call strategies. In this first article, we introduce the basic workings – the “what” – of covered calls.

A thorough consideration of resources, and their pricing, is a key element to a sound investment strategy. Future-proof investing requires an understanding of the world we operate in today and will inherit tomorrow. Resources, quite literally, shape that world.

For the fixed income fanatics amongst us, June was always going to be one for the books with all three of the major central banks meeting, elections, and continued data.

From the potential for maintaining a status quo that has delivered stability and decent returns in the last few years, to the risks of renewed volatility during a potential second Trump presidency, our latest article from Fixed Income on the upcoming elections in Mexico provides a comprehensive analysis.

TwentyFour Asset Management’s Chris Bowie, takes a closer look at how he is thinking about duration within fixed income portfolios and shows how following conventional wisdom on duration might prove costly for some investors this year.

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.