Schroders' emerging market equities quarterly review and outlook

Schroders' long-standing webinar series from the Emerging Market Equities team. This event, Portfolio Manager Nick Field examines the growth vs value factor dynamic taking place with the GEMS universe, as well as how lower global investment into the GEMS are creating both challenges and opportunities.

Amid an environment of disruption, along with: slowing growth; profit margin pressure;prolonged policy uncertainty, and complacency around financial leverage, it is increasingly important for investors to be positioned in durable businesses with pricing power and elements of self-help. Schroders international equity portfolio manager Simon Webber offers his views on the challenging macro landscape and where the team is finding the most compelling investment opportunities.

Given the challenges facing ‘traditional’ fixed income, we think segments of the securitized market warrant consideration for being a strategic portfolio component, given their better fundamentals and lower volatility compared to the more popular (and crowded) credit markets. Hear from Head of Securitized Credit Michelle Russell-Dowe as she gives her insights and opinions on the securitized space, how we expect the asset class to fare in today’s low rate environment, and where she sees opportunities within the consumer-driven, housing and real estate segments.

Recorded August 28, 2019. While trade wars and currency concerns have dominated the headlines, we think investors will be remiss if they do not at least begin to consider this tremendous alpha opportunity from a future asset allocation perspective. China’s economic dominance and future equity-market influence will undoubtedly be game-changers. In this two-part webinar, Schroders’ Greater China Equity teams delivers their local perspectives on current trends, and the longer-term secular benefits, of this unique opportunity set.

Schroders' Global Head of Stewardship Jessica Ground provides the Team's views on their latest ESG-related research

Corporate governance is a well-practices component of ESG analysis. But what about a company's social and/or environmental footprint on society. This is a much more difficult arena of analysis to do with any consistency or success.

In this edition of our quarterly series, Jessica Ground and Andy Howard discuss SustainEx, a new proprietary tool that provides quantitative analysis of these factors across companies and sectors, so that investors can better understand the financial impact of doing good, or continuing unethical business practices.

Nick Field delivers the Team's latest thematic research on the global emerging market equity markets.

Emerging market debt has had a remarkable run so far in 2019, but is this just a tactical play in the wake of a challenged year for risk assets? We think it’s more than that. EMD remains a strategic asset class play, and Schroders’ Head of EMD Relative Jim Barrineau will explore the ways in which EMD is attractive as the risk-free rate peaks.

He will also discuss where he sees the best opportunities among both hard- and local-currency debt, and how investors can be strategic with their EMD allocations in 2019.

Sarah Bratton hosts the Sustainable Investment team as they kick off the New Year with several timely topics including the relevance of ESG factors in managing both trade wars risk and the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) in the global economy. They will also touch on divestment practices and trends among several ‘sin sectors’.

Schroders' longest-standing webinar series, with our Head of EME Tom Wilson offering his outlook on the Emerging Markets in 2019.

On this All Hallows' Eve edition of Schroders’ Sustainability Quarterly webinar, we look at ESG-indexing, and ESG within the Emerging Markets, both areas that can potentially offer tricks & treats.

The combination of rising demand for index-based investment products and an increasing appetite for strategies based on ESG criteria has led to a sharp increase in ESG-branded products. We highlight a number of reasons why these simple, low-cost solutions may not provide either the financial or sustainability outcomes investors are likely to expect.

EM have tended to exhibit greater volatility than developed markets. Less stringent regulation, rapidly changing demographics and evolving policy environments can add to the uncertainty for EM investors. These
issues are less likely to impact better managed, more sustainably run companies, in our view.

Schroders recently held its Quarterly Fixed Income Investment Forum, and for this webinar David Knutson will give a glimpse into this 3-day discussion by recapping several debates that went on, including the state of the USD, and inflation. He will also offer a research analyst's perspective on another current debate sparked by recent tweets - quarterly reporting.

Emerging market equities remain an attractive area to find growth. While liquidity and FX remain powerful drivers of EM asset prices, for those with a longer-term view, we think the fundamentals are strong and there remains compelling alpha to be had across region, sector, and market cap. So where are we seeing value?

Join Dr Michael O’Brien and Derek Power from Schroders QEP team as they look at the secular changes that are transforming this dynamic and diverse asset class -- and where they see opportunities.

Please join Jessica Ground and the Sustainable Investment team as they dive into the ESG topics currently making waves.

No one wants to vacation on a beach full of plastic. With more regions talking about banning some plastic items, what is the impact for the plastics supply chain, and end users. Meanwhile, as summer temperatures reach record highs, we will revisit our Schroders Climate Progress Dashboard a year on from launch and see how the thermostat is re-calibrating. Finally, as you pack up the car for your big summer trip, is there a residual risk that is not being captured within the auto loan industry, despite banks tighten up their consumer protection rules and processes?

The Team's quarterly review and outlook on the Global Emerging Markets.

Johanna Kyrklund, Global Head of Multi-Asset Investments, provides a mid-year assessment of the Team’s cyclical & risk scenarios, as well as where they anticipate opportunities arising across the global markets. Topics to be discussed include:

* Are risks in the global economy moving from a reflationary bias to stagflation?
* Mid-term scorecard for the Fed
* Comparing & contrasting European versus US opportunities and risks
* Is it time to re-engage with emerging markets from an asset allocator’s perspective?
* And Q&A

Join Schroder's ESG Team for this new webinar series aimed at bringing you the Team's latest research highlights. This session, we will present the findings from our Global Investor Study related to ESG, including which counties and demographics are most engaged, and what challenges does this create for investors. Next, we will turn to our recent Global ESG engagement activity and run through our recent research on US Corporate Governance trends, with insights into our pre 2017 AGM season engagement topics. Finally, we will discuss our cutting-edge research on the Emerging Markets where we have been doing some focused work engaging on bribery and corruption.

Please join Tom Wilson of the Schroders EME team as he examines the latest trends and market events impacting the Emerging Markets.

It appeared that the environment for emerging market debt was improving as many developing countries have brought inflation under control, have seen an improvement in their competitiveness and have scope to reduce interest rates. But the election of Donald Trump has raised the spectre of US protectionism and resulted in rising Treasury yields. Alan Cauberghs, Investment Director, explores whether the outlook for emerging market debt has changed materially and if the asset class can still generate attractive returns in the revised political climate