Equities

The environmental crisis is undeniable, and the world needs an urgent plan. Investment firms have an important role to play. In the latest Impact Report for Vontobel’s Global Environmental Change strategy, the Impact Investing team assesses how its holdings have helped mitigate sustainability challenges, but also delves a bit deeper: find an overview of the sustainable-finance landscape and an in-depth examination of the regulatory environment into selected key developments.

Favored investment approaches, investor motivation, public and private markets, measuring impact, where the main opportunities and challenges lie.

Investors can look back at having had to navigate a difficult first half of the year. Emerging-market equities, though posting positive returns, trailed their developed-market counterparts. Could things turn around in the remainder of the year, leading to an outperformance of EM stocks?

With Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh being the venue of this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP), it’s worth remembering that developing economies bear most of the negative effects of emissions mainly produced in industrialized nations. Therefore, the onus is on western companies to go “net zero carbon”, but how to measure their progress? One common yardstick for investors is the carbon footprint method – or the more encompassing “potential avoided emissions” method propagated by Vontobel’s impact investing team.

The renewables industry looks set to benefit from tightening regulation in the European Union, or a recently signed US law aiming to decarbonize the US power sector. The nascent “clean energy” industry, which encompasses areas such as electric vehicles, batteries, or hydrogen produced in a sustainable manner, opens new opportunities for investors as well.

Discussing sustainability matters with Chinese companies is rewarding and challenging. Part of it is fact-finding, part of it is education. But investors need to tread with caution, and little extras such as talking Chinese help, says Hong Kong-based ESG analyst Gayle Chan. She also explains the approach of mtx Equities, citing a concrete example.

How can you find growth in times of panic? Difficult markets are not to be feared. Investors need an optimistic resolve and a clear roadmap: identify businesses with sustainable and predictable earnings streams, pricing power, and lower leverage, and avoid stocks trading at exorbitant multiples that are vulnerable to higher discount rates.

Like the end of a long evening of revelry, the decline in the fortunes of momentum growth and value companies leaves the Quality Growth investors, in our opinion – still standing. Companies with pricing power, low debt, and consistent earnings may be the slow but steady winners in the race to beat the market.

Bear markets do not send advance warnings. But investors can pay attention to red flags. Valuation multiples are well above the long-term average and consensus estimates are bullish on earnings growth. The good news is that investors can prepare for macro uncertainty and minimize capital loss.

The Chinese government has recently instigated a far-reaching crackdown on privately-owned businesses in China. Chinese shares listed on foreign exchanges have reacted more negatively than A-shares to this increased government intervention. What risks does this pose to foreign investors and how can they prudently navigate the equity markets of China and Hong Kong?

High-growth, high-momentum stocks were among the best performers of 2020, then value stocks rallied into the first quarter of this year. We are cautious of valuations, as some stocks have already priced in a recovery. Investing in quality companies with predictable earnings power at reasonable valuations can help investors prepare for a rainy day.

Unlike horses that need blinders to keep them narrowly focused on winning a race, investors should expand their field of vision to consider the risks around them. Matthew Benkendorf, CIO of the Quality Growth Boutique, shares 5 principles that are critical to help successfully navigate emerging markets.