With the frequency and damage of weather-related events continuing to rise, now is the time for municipal bond investors to assess and mitigate the climate risk. Along with other measures to take, the risk assessment should include whether the municipality has enacted any resiliency plans to combat risks from weather-related events.
Investment Management
Resource Search
There is a growing awareness that investment-grade corporate bond investors can use the same environmental, social, and governance (ESG) metrics popular in equity portfolios. Though in its early stages, this awareness is leading to rapid growth in socially responsible bond investing. By incorporating ESG, bond investors may achieve superior risk mitigation and without sacrificing yield or portfolio returns.
Municipal bonds had a turbulent third quarter. But did the sharp rise in yields (and corresponding drop in prices) cause investors to overreact?
How can investors navigate the turbulent waters of municipal-bond credit-risk spread? The answer may be: “Wait and see.”
The tailwinds that greeted commodities in 2021 have moderated, but they are not gone. Faced with strong economic growth and high inflation, the market expects the Fed to run down its balance sheet and begin hiking interest rates. In addition, a shift in consumer habits has left most commodity markets priced for a deficit, which may require an extended period of high prices and could lead to continued strength from the asset class.
In this segment of The Market in Five Charts, Chief Investment Officer Rick Pitcairn addresses the Ukraine crisis and its impact on capital markets through the following lens:
The ESG-labeled bond issuance has been significantly growing and is likely to persist, along with investor interest in this segment of the fixed income markets. What can responsible investors in this market expect in the year to come? Sustainable bonds should play an increasingly important role.
Investors rode the wave of strong equity returns in 2021. While public equity fueled impressive investment returns, private equity and venture capital performance took portfolios to the next level. Although there was a lot to celebrate with private capital funds, all was not rosy at the end of 2021, with two-thirds of IPOs trading below their IPO price. While the sell-off in equity markets in early 2022 dipped lower, the private equity allocations remain an important component of a diversified portfolio.
In this 12th annual survey, the focus was on the back office areas and internal fund operations. The results highlight other trends and key insights in the hedge fund industry: growth in assets and funds; an opportunity for smaller, newer managers; investors boosting their hedge fund allocations; how traditional hedge funds are coping with cryptocurrencies; and the fee models in a post-‘two and twenty’ world.
Overall, the results of the 2022 10-year capital market assumptions are mixed depending on the asset class when compared to last year’s assumptions as the global recovery gains traction. We see weaker equity market returns due to slowing growth rates and stretched valuations. Fixed income asset class returns will once again be extremely limited given how low global bond yields are today.