Investment Insights

Eliminating carbon dioxide emissions over the coming decades will require multi-billion dollar investments, as well as a wide range of efforts to reduce energy consumption, increase efficiency, electrify and decarbonise processes, and nurture alternative fuels to economic viability. As Thibaud Clisson, senior ESG analyst at our Sustainability centre explains, there are more and more technologies that put the challenging promise of net zero within reach.

Applying factors when selecting corporate bonds for investment helps build a portfolio with a performance that can be shown to be resilient when markets face rising interest rates and increased volatility. Olivier Laplenie and Charles Cresteil explain.

Bond investors may well need to change tack as they navigate a positive outlook for economic growth and the implications that currently has for fixed income returns. Alex Johnson, head of multi-strategy fixed income – absolute return, explains.

The pandemic has led to greater awareness of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, both in a personal and business sense. This has reinforced the case for ESG investing as a way to do good while also targeting positive returns. Gabriel Wilson-Otto explains.

Massive financial support from governments and central banks during the lockdowns in 2020 underpinned valuations for European high-yield bonds. The secret to doing well this year will be a total return approach allied to a keen eye for pockets of value, argues high-yield bond portfolio manager Olivier Monnoyeur.

Market mechanisms can play an important role in managing the energy transition. In two markets, recent developments have signalled potential shifts: carbon prices appear to be heading higher in anticipation of the introduction of green hydrogen, while the cost of offshore wind could jump as competition heats up. Chief sustainability strategist Mark Lewis explains.

Private debt and real asset markets can offer investors meaningful return potential along with diversification. David Bouchoucha, head of private debt and real assets, discusses the opportunities of this alternative investment segment. He underscores how important sustainability is in constructing a resilient portfolio.

The pandemic has underscored existential problems, climate change in particular. This is spurring a wave of awareness, ambitious projects and investments in technology that will be crucial for decades to come. Edward Lees, co-portfolio manager in our environmental strategies investment group, explains.

US government spending to help the economy cope with the dire consequences of COVID-19 looks set to reach record peacetime levels, but absent a boost to inflation, it is unlikely to set in motion a push for higher interest rates anytime soon. Senior US economist Mark Allan explains.

Equities look set for a positive 2021: last year’s themes and secular change should persist with support coming from factors such as dovish monetary policies. However, risks linger, not least those related to the pandemic. Overall, this constellation makes for a stock pickers’ market, argues Guy Davies, CIO of Equities. Get more on: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

A finite resource in ever growing demand, water represents a durable growth area in both developed markets suffering from underinvestment and emerging markets in need of more infrastructure. As the appreciation of quality water and improved food and health standards grows – not least in the wake of the COVID crisis – so should our endorsement of the breadth of investment opportunities the sector offers. Portfolio manager Justin Winter at Impax Asset Management explains.

Eurozone interest rates are “at the floor” of the short end of the government bond yield curve, pushing investors towards the longer end as they seek areas in fixed income that can still offer an attractive yield. Olivier De Larouziere, global head of multi-strategy group – fixed income, talks to chief market strategist Daniel Morris about the opportunities in the asset class. Get more on: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

Underperformance of multi-factor equity investing in 2020 has led some investors to question the strategy. Raul Leote de Carvalho, deputy head of our quantitative research group, discusses the reasons behind the underperformance with Daniel Morris, chief market strategist. The conversation focuses on the findings of a new research paper by the quantitative research group. This paper, entitled “Equity Factor Investing: Historical Perspective of Recent Performance” provides an extensive analysis of why we think the outlook for multi-factor investing is positive. Get more on: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

How can investors navigate the next phases of the pandemic, its legacy, and the ensuing economic recovery? Can we solve the climate crisis at the same time as the world tackles the social and economic problems laid bare by the pandemic? Daniel Morris, chief market strategist, discusses BNP Paribas Asset Management’s investment outlook for 2021. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

A combination of factors is leading global bond investors towards the Chinese bond market. Jean-Charles Sambor, head of emerging market debt, and Daniel Morris, chief market strategist, discuss the rise of Chinese fixed income in our weekly podcast. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

Asian equities have come through the pandemic standing tall and the prospects are for a continued strong run as household wealth rises and economies grow. Zhikai Chen, Head of Asian Equities, discusses the case for the asset class with Daniel Morris, Chief Market Strategist. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

The main factor determining the US economic outlook has been and will be the course of the pandemic, with the incoming administration’s ability to deal with its effects on the economy and business handicapped by its curtailed legislative power. Dominick DeAlto, CIO fixed income, and Chief Market Strategist Daniel Morris discuss the implications for bond investors and pinpoint the opportunities. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

Changing awareness is driving a shift in consumers’ relationship with food, limiting their appetite for animal products and boosting their interest in the environmental, social and health aspects of what ends up on their plates. Food industry research analyst Agne Rackauskaite talks to Chief Market Strategist Daniel Morris about the numerous opportunities this greater consciousness is creating in food investing. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

US mortgage-backed securities (MBS) currently offer an attractive yield pick-up over US Treasuries and have even greater appeal over comparable bonds elsewhere, which in many cases bear negative interest rates. John Carey, Head of Structured Securities, talks to Chief Market Strategist Daniel Morris about these high quality fixed income instruments that can help to add yield to portfolios. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/

China’s stocks appear to have left boom and bust behind. After outpacing major markets since a COVID-induced dip, Chinese equity markets are on a much better footing with the recent gains propelled by a confluence of factors. David Choa, Head of BNP Paribas Asset Management’s Greater China Equities team in Hong Kong, updates Chief Market Strategist Daniel Morris. Get more here: https://investors-corner.bnpparibas-am.com/