Investment trends

Institutional Investors have done the new math. The private credit and private equity managers they will be using going forward is changing.

The latest banking crisis that begun with Silicon Valley Bank has reawoken how intertwined markets are, despite the lessons learned in 2008.

The zeroing of Credit Suisse AT1s has made some fixed income managers angry, but others see it differently.

How depositors react to the latest banking crisis of confidence, may determine the direction of commercial real estate prices.

In the past decade or so the additional tier one (AT1) market has experienced occasional semi-cathartic events that naysayers jumped on to pronounce...more

Ways to reduce portfolio CO2 footprints; alleviate societal challenges and needs; and earn long-term inflation-linked income streams.

Whilst traditional emerging market equity investors remain focused Asia and South America, the more experienced manager selectors are watching MENA.

It took just 2 months for ChatGPT to reach 100 million users. We’re gonna need more chips. But where are they going to come from?

With Central Banks tilting policy trade-off towards inflation control, a recession in 2023 is almost inevitable. How are investor portfolios adjusting?

China's re-opening has seen the A share markets bounce back fast. But this recovery is different, as are the risks.

The risks of the increasing share of retail speculators using zero day to expiry options for institutional investors needs to be understood.

The numbers speak for themselves. The market for short-term options has proliferated during the past year and is now hitting daily notional volumes of...

Corporate earnings remain extremely elevated, and a return to trend could see the gradual repricing of equity markets become rather more sudden.

Defensive Equity strategies can be created using different investment approaches. Each can reduce downside risk, but they also introduce other risks.

Logistics real estate has substantial untapped potential for net zero portfolios and decarbonisation. This is what investors are uncovering.

U.S. small caps are trading at discounts to U.S. large caps not seen in decades. The rebound may come quicker and earlier than investors realise.

The Case for New European Investment Grade Bond Managers: Asset manager selectors to spend more time researching new managers that can tap into alpha.

Municipal Bonds outperformed most other Fixed Income segments in 2022 but also saw record outflows. Will that change in 2023?

In the current market, the supply of alpha is abundant across asset classes, countries and sectors. In contrast, the end of free money may impact beta.

The case for Indian Equities has only got stronger. But is it strong than the case for China?

Chinese Onshore Equities are probably one of the most under-appreciated diversifiers for adding uncorrelated returns to investors current portfolio.

Green Bonds fall into two categories that are used by investors to tilt portfolios towards net zero emissions (NZE) and ESG leaders. But there are issues.

Mid-Cap stocks have some unique properties that solve two important issues for investors at this stage in the economic cycle and in the current market.

Asia Pacific Real Estate markets have seen strong inflows. But Singapore, Seoul, China, Japan have very different factors at play.

Investing in Global Food Security solves deep societal problems and releases impact capital for food protection and fertiliser production companies.

Are Short Duration High Yield Bonds The Best Option Today? Investors see three reasons to lower duration in high yield bond allocations today.

Amid aggressive monetary tightening, the short duration profile of high yield bonds can help defend against rising rates.Short-dated high yield bonds...

Three quarters of Web 2.0 companies did not exist on Web 1.0. Who will be the winners and losers of Web 3.0 and why is the Metaverse important?

Since China's 20th Communist Party Congress, a lot has happened and a lot is going to happen. How this all plays out is changing by the day.

Private Equity secondaries are helping investors mitigate multiple risks. But finding the best private equity secondary managers is not so simple.

Many Investment Managers expect India to post the largest real GDP growth globally in 2023. But the Indian market is expensive despite strong fundamentals.

The 2023 outlook for the Asset-Backed Securities (ABS) market varies across the many different types of securities backed by different assets. It's mixed.

Has the 2022 bear market ended? It is unclear even for most market forecasters. The spread of 2023 consensus earnings estimates is historically wide.

Is too late to hedge portfolio risk. Investors painfully acknowledge that multi-asset portfolios were challenged in 2022 from three sides.

Deglobalisation will affect stock valuations. There are many interrelated dynamics at play that represent a powerful reaction on geo-political realities.

Where in the rating tables - from CCC to BB - should high yield bond investors be focused in 2023? Here's are global investment managers outlooks for 2023.

The Bank of Japan's unexpected decision to raise it's Yield Curve Control (YCC) ceiling is important. So important that investors are excited.

Part II of the series shows that deglobalization implies a regime change, with trend increases in capex and the labor share, as well as a higher...

In what is turning out to be a challenging year for global stock market returns, the performance of India stands out within the emerging market...

Not surprisingly, anti-beta equity strategies did very well for investors who followed them in 2022 – after all, performing well when the stock market...

The excess yields available from investment-grade and high-yield corporate bonds are beginning to attract “crossover” investors.

Caution is warranted entering 2023, however volatility could present intriguing buying opportunities. Although headwinds persist, the...

Benjamin Graham, if he were alive today, or even an investor from 2019, might struggle to comprehend the bull market we witnessed in SPACs, crypto...

Markets are calm. Investors are happy. Who would have thought it was possible. To comeback and win the Presidency of Brazil with a margin of barely 2%.

It's that time of the year that global financial market outlooks fill our research feeds. Interestingly, in a bear market outlooks get read more.

Real Estate Investment Managers seem more bullish on Offices than investors. Do their stats add up? Or does the segment need time to find equilibrium.

Alternative Credit is attracting Private Equity and Real Estate investors. Yields are relatively compelling and mitigate many risks not rewarded today.

In recent years alternative fixed income assets such as mortgage loans, infrastructure financing and private debt have become much more important...

With China’s 20th Communist Party Congress over, President Xi Jinping secured his third term. How will this impact on Chinese Stock markets?

Dividend investing strategies and funds are getting popular. The current market environment provides many reasons for the recent comeback in dividends.

Growth strategies have long overshadowed dividend strategies. However, changing macroeconomic conditions have turned the tables and dividend investments...

EMD research inside RFPnetworks receives a relatively large proportion of our daily traffic. Currently, there is a lot of new EMD information to digest.

As Growth investing loses faith in a rising rate and inflationary environment, where is the smart money going?

As liquidity in the financial system is removed, investors preserve cash to be proactive buyers from the inevitable forced sellers. But not all investors.

We see danger ahead. Markets are still too high, and protection is expensive in an increasingly nervous world; common sense suggests one should...

Emerging market local currency bonds have many benefits over EM hard currency bonds. But investors are not ignoring hard currency bonds at today's prices.

An allocation to high-quality, developed market government bonds continues to play an important role in reducing the volatility of a well-diversified...

Investing in the Circular Economy is being driven by three broad issues. Investors expect the long term results of their portfolio and planet to benefit.

Fed Guidance has moved from being behind the curve, to springing off the curve. At least that is the view of many economists inside RFPnetworks.

Demographics will have a profound but probably very different impact on U.S. Commercial Real Estate (CRE) than most traditional relationships suggest.

US commercial real estate (CRE) investors are well-versed in the importance of economic growth to property investment performance.

The best CEO's have embraced the new normal. The world has changed and they have changed with it. Here's how they have changed strategy to remain on top.

Outperforming equity indices is not easy. But it is not impossible. The trick is to identify investment managers with very specific characteristics.

Does investing in aerospace and defence conflict with ESG Investors? Has thinking changed and what will exclusion lists look like in the future?

CLO Equity performance has surprised investors in the aftermath of every crisis going back to 2022. Is this crisis different for CLO Equity?

Real Estate Debt and Infrastructure Debt have been popular asset classes for institutional investors. But will these illiquid assets perform in recession.

Timberland Investing is no longer just about stable cashflows. Timberland is experiencing several exogenous shocks that is impacting prices. Some good.

High yield bonds or private credit? Investors are comparing the benefits and disadvantages of each for the current changing market environment.

GP-Led Secondaries fill the gap at the extremes of the Private Equity opportunity set, bridging risks, returns and duration for professional investors.

Whether the Green Office Premium will continue may depend on rating concentration by location and building value.

Student Housing Investing has grown in popularity with institutional investors. But investing in Purpose Built Student Housing is very different to CRE.

When Capital Market Assumptions change, investors are forced to re-evaluate their strategic asset allocation. Portfolios could change.

Affordable housing is attracting investors looking to make an impact with their Real Estate portfolios. U.S and U.K affordable housing theme is trending.

Investments in US Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) are an excellent example of impact investing. Impact investing seeks to create positive social...

Deglobalisation is happening. 3 things are already impacting governments, corporations and stock markets. There are disadvantages, but also advantages.

Protecting portfolios from inflation is a key objective of every investor. Inflation protection is becoming even more critical as inflation heads higher.

Protecting portfolios from inflation is a key objective of every investor. Inflation protection is becoming even more critical as inflation heads higher.

Relative currency valuations are moving and moving fast. Driven by multi-speed monetary policy globally, investors are preparing to hedge currencies.

Against the US dollar, the Japanese yen is at a 24-year low. Over the same period, the domestic purchasing power of the dollar has almost halved, whilst...

U.S. Taxable Municipal Bonds are getting noticed by European Investors, including Insurance Companies. They have 5 characteristics that are of interest.

Japanese Equities are re-capturing the attention of institutional investors. There are many factors that support the renewed enthusiasm.

The BOJ’s resistance to tighter policy and higher JGB yields is understandable, but this is not a sustainable situation.

Whether REITs help protect portfolios in a rising rate and high inflation environment is a function of who you ask, and the ability to raise rents.

The Chinese Equity market may be cheap and too risky, but it is difficult to ignore. Especially now as markets show some early returns to growth.

China stocks are slumping on news of rising COVID-19 cases in the world’s most populous country but that doesn’t negate their strong rebound in recent...

ABS is being considered by treasurers as an alternative to money market funds as a means to manage liquidity, safety and yield over medium term.

The ECB's new Transmission Protection Instrument (TPI) is still light on detail, but the objectives are clear.

Growth Stocks have clearly been impacted by Bond Yields. Especially the long duration growth equity managers. Is the impact now in the price?

Expect an Increased Focus on Capital Allocation, Quality and Sustainable Free Cash Flow.

Long Term Structural Change for CRE Ahead?

Office Real Estate 1H22 Stats - Across Europe's top 25 markets, 5.6 million square metres of commercial office space was let in 1H22.

The ECB is raising rates, but many argue not fast enough. The ECB's is counter argument is that they are doing what is necessary, only differently.

The Energy Transition spans climate change mitigation and energy security. But are governments and consumers willing to pay the price. Greenflation's here.

ESG Bond issuance in 2022 has been much lower than the record breaking 2021. Investors are hoping for new impetus for ESG Bonds from the Energy Transition.

European Investors often allocate to U.S. Loans before European Loans. But right now, European Loans seem to be attracting the most attention.

The case for investing in Municipal Bonds is relatively positive looking at valuations, yields and fundamentals. Investors are taking a closer look.

Decarbonising portfolios, food security, inflation protection and income are key themes with institutional investors. Farmland ticks many of these boxes.

Japanese Equities are gaining momentum with investors. The universe includes global leading companies with strong balance sheets not found elsewhere.

REIT forward estimates, intrinsic value discounts and strong fundamentals support the case for REITs today. But there may be clouds ahead.

Land Based Assets such as Farmland and Timberland by definition should have a high correlation with CPI. But sensitivities do differ across assets.