Global equities

From the desk of Amit Lodha

The market environment presents investors with a challenging juncture. In the short term, a combination of healthy consumer balance sheets, low inflation, low interest rates, and high liquidity provides a robust backdrop for returns. But in the longer term, different scenarios could play out requiring different approaches to portfolio management. For investors, complementing a portfolio of companies that work in specific scenarios with those that work in multiple scenarios offers a prudent strategy.

22 February 2021 | Amit Lodha

Global equities

8 lessons from 12 remarkable months

This Friday is the anniversary of the S&P 500’s peak on February 19. Within two weeks, the US benchmark had corrected by 10pc. Within four weeks it was in bear market territory, down more than 20pc. We didn’t know it at the time, but five weeks after the peak, it was all over. Since March 23 last year, US shares have risen 75pc. The past year has provided more than its fair share of lessons. Here are eight things I’ve taken from a remarkable 12 months in the markets.

16 February 2021 | Tom Stevenson

Global economics

Policing the platforms

Questions about free speech on social media, internet companies’ policies on user expression, and government intervention in the tech industry are becoming impossible for investors to ignore. In the aftermath of the US presidential election campaign, it's important, in our view, for social media companies to have external boundaries on speech.

15 February 2021 | Fidelity International

Global equities

Learning from the market

Friedrich Nietzsche told us, ‘The future influences the present just as much as the past.’ Events that haven’t happened yet have a great influence upon the world we see today. When it comes to current market valuations, Nietzsche’s contention looks compelling.

15 December 2020 | Amit Lodha

From the desk

2021: The outlook for water and waste

We've seen throughout history that water and waste services remain essential throughout economic cycles and shocks. This crisis will be no different, with the sector set to come out stronger as we see switching from ‘stay-at-home’ stocks to ‘real assets’.

07 December 2020 | Bertran Lecourt

Outlook