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This week - what lessons can economists learn from how a virus spreads, and what pitfalls should they avoid? Our guest, the distinguished economist Paul Ormerod, suggests that the macro-modellers of the Covid-19 virus might have missed a trick; put simply, they didn’t properly take into account the fact that people faced with a situation – any situation – are highly likely to change their behaviour as a result. And if economics is all about human behaviour, should economists have been as closely involved as epidemiologists in modelling the approach to managing the virus back in March?

In the second part of the podcast, Paul Diggle and Stephanie Kelly discuss the search for a vaccine, and how the ASI Research Institute has tried to extend the kind of thinking that Paul Ormerod was talking about by building a framework to measure vaccine development and output.

Welcome to our latest Responsible Investing podcast – Lessons from The Lorax. This week, Julia Dreblow, director of SRI Services and founder of online tool Fund EcoMarket, shares her invaluable insights from over three decades in the industry. Topics include her drive for transparency, the reasons investors shouldn’t fear complexity and why the lessons of the Dr Seuss’s Lorax still ring true today. Listen to this and more here.

Brexit and Covid-19 are still the topics on everyone's lips, like it or not. But taking a longer view, where does this leave UK politics - and what does sustained political volatility mean for investors?

Episode 5 - did furlough work? by abrdn

In our latest podcast, David Smith, Senior Investment Director in our equities business in Singapore, offers his views on the changes he’s seen over the past couple of decades in the responsible investment market. He also shares his personal perspective on how the Asian markets have evolved during his time in the region.

In this podcast, originally aired for 3D Asset Management as part of their Advisor Success Series, Robert Minter, Investment Strategist, represents Aberdeen Standard Investments in a discussion of the current state of the commodities market.

Listen as Bob and industry peers explore how the coronavirus pandemic, the recent oil crisis and other ongoing, global market forces have impacted commodities. The group also lays out what trends and themes they are keeping an eye on through the rest of 2020 and beyond.

The views set out in the podcast represent the latest thinking to emerge from the quarterly Global Investment Group, or GIG. The GIG’s role is to characterise the current and future risk-return environment at a high level.

For investors, analysing the long-term economic and financial implications of Covid-19 is still a challenging process. The environment is uncertain and the path ahead is likely to be difficult to navigate. Like many others, our hopes are pinned on the prompt delivery and distribution of an effective vaccine and on continued and appropriate policy support for struggling economies. But geopolitical events could still make this a bumpy ride to year end.

Episode 4 - the state of the race (U.S. Presidential election, with Robby Mook) by abrdn

Welcome to our weekly podcast, Macro Matters. This week, we grade Abenomics and look ahead to the next era of Japanese politics, and we assess the impact of the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the US Presidential race.

In front of the mic for our next Responsible Investing podcast is Devan Kaloo. Here, Devan takes us through his storied career, from his roots in emerging markets to his current role as Global Head of Equities. Throughout this time he has seen many market booms & busts, as well as a number of crises. This has given him keen insights into a variety of topics, especially one of the most exciting issues today – the future of responsible investing.