Thematic Investing and Secular Trends

Long-Term Themes for Institutional Portfolios

Aside from adopting a position on market caps, styles, or sectors, equity allocations can also be structured to align with long-term investment themes. These thematic allocations are often agnostic to sector, style, and other market-related considerations that typically govern equity portfolios. In the first paper below, Lazard Asset Management describes other merits of a thematic approach and recommends a diversified allocation of five to ten specific themes.

Could there be a new inflationary regime around the corner, and what would the implications be for global assets? Has loose monetary policy propelled financial markets into another bubble? How is the asset management industry responding to the emergence of certain secular trends?

THEMATIC AND SECULAR INVESTMENT PAPERS

Capturing Structural Change: A guide to thematic investing (Lazard AM, 2021)

Lazard Asset Management describes the process of building a portfolio around five to ten themes that represent long-term, structural shifts within equity markets.

The World in 2030: 10 predictions for long-term investors (Capital Group, 2021)

For compliance reasons, this paper is only accessible in certain geographies

Capital Group presents ten secular investment trends that long-term investors should be mindful of over the coming decade.

U.S. Corporate Profits: 70 Years of Performance (PGIM Fixed Income, 2021)

What are the factors that govern corporate profitability? PGIM Fixed Income has identified five of the factors that are statistically most significant in determining corporate profits.

Bursting the Bubble: Rationality in an irrational market (CFA Institute, 2021)

Is it possible to confidently state whether speculative bubbles exist, and are we currently in one? CFA Institute explores this and many more questions about past and present bubbles in financial assets within this 328-page paper.

Shifts & Narratives – Inflation: Something deep awakens (Amundi, Apr 2021)

For compliance reasons, this paper is NOT accessible in the United States

Amundi Asset Management points towards the emergence of a new inflationary regime and discusses the implications of higher inflation for global multi-asset investors.

The Best Strategies for Inflationary Times (2021)

Investment strategists from Man Group analyse the impact of inflation risk on passive and active investment strategies across a variety of asset classes in the U.S., the U.K., and Japan over the past 95 years.

Video: Trends – Here today, here tomorrow (Robeco, Apr 2021)

Robeco's 90-minute video explores thematic and trend investing from a variety of angles via interviews and panel discussions. How are structural changes identified and how are transformative megatrends capitalised upon?

How to Select Thematic Funds? Five criteria (WisdomTree Investments, Apr 2021)

For compliance reasons, this paper is only accessible in the UK & Europe

WisdomTree offers a decision-making framework to aid investors in their selection of thematic investment funds.

Transformational Investment Practices of Advanced Investors (WEF, 2021)

This white paper from the World Economic Forum looks at several ways in which asset management firms are integrating secular trends such as climate change, demographic shifts, and technological innovation into their investment practices.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES

Virtual Event 18 May 2021: Alpha Summit by CFA Institute

CFA Institute has transformed its annual conference, with a binge-worthy format and an exciting slate of speakers who will challenge and inspire. The event takes a fresh look at the role of finance in addressing the most pressing issues. See how finance professionals can change the industry in unexpected ways.