What was behind last month’s ‘flash crash’ and last week’s smaller wobble? Does the dis-inversion of the US treasury yield curve signal recession? And what are markets telling us about the likely path of interest rates in the US, Europe and the UK?

This podcast is hosted by Harry Brooks, Content Manager.

All data is sourced from Eikon as at 10 September 2024 unless otherwise stated.

It’s been more than a year since Robert Waugh took over as the independent chair of the Legal & General Mastertrust’s board of trustees.

In our latest DC podcast, Robert and Kim Brown, Head of Mastertrust & IGC, review the highlights and challenges of his first year in post, the implications of a change of government – which had been elected just two weeks before their conversation – and Robert’s ambitions for the future.

Kim also finds out more about the man behind the role including Robert’s interests and what he’d recommend from his recent reading list.

For professional investors only. Capital at risk 

In our latest DB podcast we continue our discussion of the endgame options available for DB pension schemes, and in particular, why the government’s review of the regulation around surplus extraction could potentially lead to increased desire among pension trustees to consider ‘running on’ their scheme.

And what do the terms ‘run-on’ and ‘surplus’ mean in the first place?

Mathew Webb, Legal & General’s Head of Endgame Solutions, explains all. 

We’re taking a short break from the pod but we’ll be back on 22 August with more news and views from across our investment teams.

What can the summer of sport tell us about the power of the world’s biggest brands? How can brand value be quantified? And why might investors seek to add exposure to the owners of the strongest global brands? 

Delving into these questions in this episode are:

Henry Farr, Director, Brand Finance®

Ellie Piscopiello, Senior ETF Analyst, LGIM

This podcast is hosted by Harry Brooks, European Content Manager.

Sponsorship value of 2024 Olympics: CNN, July 2024

Roger Federer’s endorsement portfolio: Forbes, 2023

Financial characteristics of owners of global brands refers to top 100 global brands as per Brand Finance®'s ranking for the seven years ended 31 December 2022. ‘Mega cap peers’ refers to companies with market cap over $15bn

Nike logo history: Reuters, 2023

How should investors interpret the latest twists and turns in the race for the White House? What’s behind the rise in US small-cap stocks? What should investors conclude now that China’s third plenum has ended? And why is August such a special month for our very own Ben Bennett, Head of Investment Strategy, Asia? 

This podcast is hosted by Frances Watson, Senior Content Manager.

All data is sourced from Eikon as at 22 July 2024 unless otherwise stated.

Is investor interest in private markets set to continue? Or has their appeal been hit by the interest rate cycle of the last two years? And how can investors position themselves to align with the megatrends shaping the investment environment of the future?

Andrew Lowry, Content Manager at Legal & General, is joined by Rob Martin, Global Head of Investment Strategy and Research for Private Markets, and Infrastructure Strategist, Marija Simpraga, to discuss the potential factors driving performance in private markets for the rest of 2024 - and beyond.

This episode was recorded before Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the US presidential campaign.

With so much to uncover about how private market investments could fit into DC pension fund strategies, we look at some of the challenges and how they might be addressed.

Rita Butler-Jones, Head of DC at Legal & General, is joined by Christy Lindsay, Head of Private Markets Distribution, and Martin Dietz, Head of Diversified Strategies, to discuss what we mean by private market investments, the potential benefits of these type of assets for DC savers, and the obstacles that need to be overcome to access opportunities for scheme members in a responsible way.

For professional investors only. Capital at risk.

The accuracy of opinion polls has meant that the initial reaction of sterling assets to a new government has been relatively muted. But irrespective of a change of politicians, for investors the key issues remain the same – namely the rise of geopolitics, immigration, deglobalisation and fiscal versus monetary policy. 

In this podcast, our panel of experts  - Sonja Laud, Chief Investment Officer, James Carrick, Global Economist and Chris Jeffery, Head of Macro Strategy - discuss the issues facing today’s investor, while concluding that, given combined risks have increased, our preference, as ever, is to achieve the right mix of uncorrelated asset classes and return profiles. 

This podcast is hosted by Mark Johnson, Head of UK Institutional & Wholesale and was recorded on 05 July 2024.

How should investors aim to navigate the wave of election uncertainty currently enveloping financial markets? Is  Nvidia a classic example of concentration risk? And to what extent might ballooning deficits impact global productivity? Ben Bennett, Head of Investment Strategy, Asia also explains why central bankers are keen to see a weaker dollar relative to other currencies.

This podcast is hosted by Frances Watson, Senior Content Manager.

All data sourced from Bloomberg as at June 2024.