Equities

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.