Green and ESG bonds: what’s behind their rise? December 14, 2020 | City Talk The green and social bond market continues to grow, evolve and diversify, remaining a helpful tool in driving sustainability. We look at what this means for investors. Green bonds have been attracting attention for some time, being a key element of the development and growth of sustainable or environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing in [...]
UK companies are cheap: the smaller the cheaper December 11, 2020 | City Talk UK stocks have lagged their global peers, but is the stage set for a change of fortune? Many investors in UK stocks have looked on enviously at the super-sized returns that global stocks, and US stocks in particular, have been able to deliver over recent years. That all changed this month. As of 18 November, [...]
Climate Progress Dashboard: Will a Biden Paris U-turn inspire action? December 9, 2020 | City Talk The latest update to our Climate Progress Dashboard suggests the current pace of change will result in temperatures rising by 3.8°C above pre-industrial levels. The 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) would have taken place in Glasgow, Scotland, this month if it was not for the coronavirus pandemic. Global leaders were expected to [...]
Savings shortfall: 41% worry they won’t have enough to retire December 4, 2020 | City Talk If you are worried you will not have enough saved for your retirement, you are not alone, a major new study has found. Figuring out how much you should save for your retirement is never easy. Your needs change over time, just as your income fluctuates. If you knew exactly how much you would earn [...]
Can asset management’s Covid-19 response help regain public trust? November 27, 2020 | City Talk The tenth anniversary of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) back in 2018 sparked a deluge of articles recalling the days the financial system stared into the abyss. They questioned just how close we came to complete collapse, but also whether it could happen again. Had anything changed in the decade that followed? From some perspectives [...]
Think short-term for lockdown but not for investing November 25, 2020 | City Talk The UK’s second lockdown means everyone’s winter plans have been torn up and thrown away. Even seemingly modest weekend activities – going to a museum, meeting a friend for lunch – are now off the table. As many of us learnt during the first lockdown, the trick is to focus on what is possible in [...]
Has the euro’s time come to shine? November 23, 2020 | City Talk Our fixed income team thinks that after more than a decade of financial uncertainty, Europe’s fortunes – and that of the euro – could be set to change. Here’s why. Years of instability The past couple of years have brought yet more turmoil and uncertainty to the European Union. What its proponents see as a [...]
How sustainability can make a product stand out November 20, 2020 | City Talk The growing awareness of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors among customers and investors poses a quandary for companies: how should they react? Predictably, the response has been a mixed one, with the pace and magnitude of action dependent on the extent to which companies view this change as an opportunity as opposed to an [...]
The four “M”s: why the 21st century belongs to Asia November 18, 2020 | City Talk For a look into the future of the global economy, and where the power is shifting, consider technology developments in both China and India., In a mere decade, China’s e-commerce market has grown from less than 1% of global sales, into the world’s largest market in 2016, representing more than 40% of transactions by value. [...]
What are the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals? A quick guide November 18, 2020 | City Talk The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”. The UN describes them as a “call for action” to “promote prosperity while protecting the planet”. Read on for what the 17 goals are and what Schroders’ Global Head of Sustainable Investment has to say about [...]