Fixed income update

Will Kenney shares the latest views and outlook from our Global Equity team.

Senior Fund Managers, Martin Cholwill and Richard Marwood, provide a review and outlook for the UK Equity Income sector and the RL UK Equity Income Fund. In this webinar, Martin and Richard will outline the core principles behind the UK Equity Income team’s investment process and how this has been affected by recent events, such as the roll out of vaccines and completion of Brexit.

In a Q&A session, Martin and Richard will review the pressures on the sector as a whole and profile the opportunities that are available. They will also discuss portfolio holdings and the rationale for the strong conviction they hold in them.

Azhar Hussain, Head of Global Credit, will highlight how analysis of 2020 helps RLAM’s assessment of high yield strategies for 2021.

In this webinar, Azhar will outline how high yield recovered strongly last year, at a time of falling government bond yields. He will highlight the extent to which central banks’ monetary policy support, which included the direct purchase of high yield bonds for the first time, helped create this additional market liquidity.

The session will conclude with a review of the changing profile of the sector and thoughts on what may happen when central banks remove their accommodative policy, and whether inflation expectations will return.

As ‘sustainable’ investing gains ever more traction in fixed income markets, asset managers appear to be engaged in an arms race to demonstrate their ESG credentials to asset owners. Signs are emerging that credit investors may be favouring convenience over credibility, such as blindly buying bonds with ESG labels or relying on incomplete third party data. Shalin Shah, manager of RLAM’s range of Sustainable credit funds, alongside Senior Credit Analyst, Matthew Franklin, will demonstrate how a more bespoke and fixed income specific approach to ESG integration can help capture inefficiencies present in credit markets, with no compromise on either returns or sustainability.

Building on RLAM’s long established heritage in Sustainable Investing, they will also talk about the real opportunity to provide capital to critical social and environmental sectors that are largely inaccessible to investors across other asset classes.

Mike Fox, Head of Sustainable Investments at RLAM and George Crowdy, Fund Manager of the RL Global Sustainable Equity Fund provide a review and outlook ahead for the range of RLAM sustainable investing funds. In this webinar, Mike and George will outline the core principles behind RLAM’s approach to sustainable investing, how the market has changed and continues to change, and how this has been exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19.

Mike and George will reflect on the RLAM team’s investment process and how this fits in with the current environment, referencing topical themes and the impact of events such as US elections on this style of investing.

Jonathan Platt, Head of Fixed Income and Ewan McAlpine, Senior Client Portfolio Manager, will provide RLAM’s outlook on fixed income investing in 2021.

In this webinar, Jonathan and Ewan will address a number of areas that are prevalent and of particular relevance within fixed income currently, as well as others that may feature later on in the year.
These themes will include the search for income, the need for inflation protection, diversification and the potential benefits and risks around credit investment.

The session will also feature RLAM’s established fixed income investment process and how this fits in to a 2021 market environment.

The RL Global Equity Select Fund’s investment approach is used to differentiate stocks across their respective lifecycles, in order to build a relatively neutral style portfolio. Whilst a portfolio with either a distinct growth or value bias enhances risk exposure, this investment approach may help negate that by offering idiosyncratic stock picking which can work across multiple market environments.

The fund has a proven track record with a style agnostic approach, which distinguishes it from its peers.

Listen to find out more about how the lifecycle concept is put into practice, plus hear about practical stock examples and Peter Rutter’s views on the current market.

In his quarterly strategy webinar, Trevor Greetham, Head of Multi Asset, explains why he is positive on equities and very positive on global high yield bonds. He believes the arrival of several Covid-19 vaccines sets the scene for a strong economic recovery in 2021 and expects both monetary and fiscal policy to stay loose. Trevor sees potential for inflation to rise more than people expect over the next few years and continues to favour broadly diversified portfolios.

Trevor Greetham explains the reasons for the relative positioning within RLAM’s risk-rated multi asset funds and why he believes diversification is still key, in what could be an inflationary post-Brexit world.

Trevor Greetham, RLAM's Head of Multi Asset, discusses upcoming changes to the strategic asset mix of the Global Multi Asset Portfolios which aim to improve international diversification and future returns, whilst ensuring each fund remains well within its risk band.

Mike Fox, Head of Sustainable Investments, addresses the history and development of sustainable investing, profiles the differences with impact investing and highlights what is meant by sustainable investing at RLAM. Mike also addresses the growing profile of societal goals such as UNSDGs and the similarities and differences with the RLAM sustainable investing team’s investment approach.

As we approach five years since the drafting of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, we examine the climate landscape, and discuss:

• Trends in emissions and policy - what 2020 has meant for climate, the ramifications of COVID and the delay to COP26 discussions, and what China’s announcement of its commitment to net zero emissions by 2060 means

• The investment industry’s response to climate change in this unprecedented year

• Climate risk mitigation and integration across RLAM’s investment strategies

This live webinar will be hosted by John Burke, Head of Institutional with RLAM's climate expert Carlota Garcia-Manas, Senior Responsible Investment Analyst.

“Decades can pass when nothing happens and there can be weeks when decades happen”. It’s recently been the latter, following the US presidential election and potential vaccines for covid-19. Mike Fox, Head of Sustainable Investments, addresses the impact on markets and the effects on sustainable investing.

With an outlook beyond a new US presidency term and hopes of a vaccine for Covid-19, Trevor Greetham, Head of Multi Asset, outlines the reasons for his top level asset allocations within the GMAP funds.

Senior Fund Manager, James Clarke, outlines the three main themes that have been affecting markets recently; Q3 earnings, US presidential and congressional elections and how potential vaccines may affect sectors impacted by Covid-19. James highlights how stock selection and diversification within funds can help navigate through macro uncertainties.

Sustainable investing against the backdrop of Covid-19 and its potential impact over the next decade, addressing key sustainable themes and how they’ve fared during the pandemic, and looking at the pros and cons of a global approach to sustainable investing and how best to overcome obstacles. The session will be hosted by Kate Parker, Institutional Client Solutions Director, with RLAM's Head of Sustainable Investments, Mike Fox, and George Crowdy, Sustainable Fund Manager.

In this session Jeremy Smith and Vicky Pearce from B-Compliant discuss the key compliance topics facing advisers and wealth managers.

Treasurers face unique investment challenges. In this session, Kate Parker focuses on how to implement cash investment strategies when rates are so low, as well as how sustainable investing can fit with longer term investment horizons.

Andrew Epsom, RLAM’s insurance investment specialist, looks at how the economic and regulatory environment (particularly ESG integration) for fixed income investing is changing, and provides practical examples of how insurers could change their fixed income approach to be better positioned going forwards.