What’s up with the yellow metal?
Gold is currently trading around $2,375 per ounce, just below its recent all-time high of $2,450 per ounce. Gold prices historically rise when inflation is increasing, when investors are looking for a safe investment in anticipation of a recession or because they fear the dollar is weakening. Yet none of these conditions seems to hold. […]
The case for bonds (as rates inch towards normalisation)
Chartology
Artificial intelligence and investing: it’s all about the data
Fast reading ChatGPT and the interest it spawned is the latest step in the broader field of artificial intelligence, which has had a long and colourful history. Generative AI has substantial promise, but the current generation of models poses significant challenges for use in investing. As this field evolves, MDT Advisers will seek to identify […]
Bonds, bullets and barbells – what happens after yield curve inversion?
While there is no single ‘right’ approach for extending portfolio duration, there are two basic ways to consider as a starting point. For example, an investor may use a barbell approach, allocating 50% to cash and 50% to an intermediate or long-duration fixed income strategy. Conversely, the investor could choose a single investment offering a […]
Korea discount: a dream deferred?
Fast reading In our opinion, the ‘Korea discount’ has deprived investors of returns, in many cases leaving them impoverished relative to the growing value of the very companies into which they have invested. We believe it has also raised the cost of capital for South Korean enterprise, reduced risk-taking and economic activity, while undermining innovation. […]
15 for 15: A US SMID retrospective
When did you join Federated Hermes and what were you doing before? Initially qualifying as an accountant with PwC, I joined Hermes (from the Rio Tinto pension scheme) to focus on European small- and mid-cap companies in 2005. I transitioned to the US small- and mid-cap team in 2009, taking over as Lead Manager in […]
Politics and the investor
Whichever way you cut it, 2024 will be a testing year for some of the world’s biggest democracies. Seven of the world’s ten most populous nations will go to the polls, accounting for a third of global GDP and a quarter of its population (see charts and table below). In May, India’s billion-strong electorate will […]
Six reasons to consider an unconstrained approach to credit
Reason 1: Investors with the ability to manage duration can accommodate even a higher-for-longer scenario Consensus expectations see developed market CPIs coming close to target in 2024 as tight monetary policy constrains activity, unemployment slowly picks up and labour market pressures cool. Developed-market central banks have indicated they see themselves at the peak of the […]
The stars (and stripes) align: The overlooked appeal of US SMID
Fast reading While about one third of the S&P 500 is accounted for by the ‘Magnificent Seven’, the Federated Hermes US SMID Equity team have 2500 stocks to choose from (from the Russell 2500 Index) and no single group that dominates. US SMID companies – with a market capitalisation of between US$1bn to US$15bn – […]
Investors prep for June rate cuts
market snapshot
