The COVID-19 effect: Sectors, Factors & Themes

In this session, we will explore the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on different sector and factor returns. As single stock return dispersion rises, selection across factors and sectors can help more than ever in generating excess returns. This is especially true during volatile markets and the drifts experienced so far have shown the pandemic as a catalyst for existing trends: •Increasing need for Health care from researching vaccines to catering to ageing populations, and the continuous rise of IT and Communication services. •Profitability issues around brick & mortar retailers and European financials, as well as potentially stranded assets in the traditional Energy sector. •Continued outperformance of momentum, low volatility, quality and ESG stocks overall. We aim to provide an insight into the COVID effect on these trends and how we see these developing into the future.