Silicon Valley Byte Size - The Allianz Technology Trust Podcast

Despite the well-established dominance of mega-cap technology companies that play a key role in IT infrastructures, Portfolio Manager Mike Seidenberg talks to Cherry Reynard about the potential of the mid- and large-cap sector for long term growth. Mike delves into the complexities and limitations of mega-cap companies, making a compelling case for shifting the focus to mid- and large-caps, where opportunities for faster growth and innovation are often more abundant.

Semiconductors are everywhere – not only in things where we would definitely expect them, but increasingly in everyday items as well as those products become more technologically advanced. That proliferation has spawned some very profitable companies – Cherry Reynard and Mike Seidenberg discuss the different types of companies in the ecosystem and where the trust is currently putting its concentration in this sector, many of which are not household names.

The Internet-of-Things can often conjure up images of smart home devices and either utopian or dystopian views of a fully connected life. However, there are many other use cases, for example in industrial applications, where the technology has wide ranging implications for efficiency and improvement. Mike Seidenberg and Cherry Reynard delve deeper into this connected landscape…

The technology sector that has emerged from the pandemic is different to the one that went before. And we are still seeing some of the ramifications. In this latest podcast we discuss how the sector has changed over the past two years, and how that is reflected in the portfolio. Which pandemic trends have endured, how has the higher interest rate environment dented the valuation of higher growth shares and how has the portfolio been reshaped to reflect this changing environment.

Recorded and produced by Lansons.

ChatGPT has brought artificial intelligence (AI) firmly into investors’ sights in 2023. But, where are we today in terms of AI and its applications, and where are we going in the future? Cherry and Mike look at the implications and whether the initial euphoria from an investment perspective is warranted. There is no doubt that increasing use of data is an advantage for businesses, and those that fall behind in their use of AI risk being at a competitive disadvantage. On balance, is AI an opportunity or a threat?

Picking up where the previous podcast episode left off, portfolio manager Mike Seidenberg and host Jon Cronin dive a little deeper on the topic of cybersecurity. Which companies are championing the fight-back, what should investors be thinking about in that sector, and how does cyber security stack up alongside other areas within tech?

In this latest podcast, portfolio manager Mike Seidenberg and stand-in host Jon Cronin focus in on the topic of cybersecurity. The team look at what the implications are to us all in our daily lives, but also how this impacts businesses, corporations, and governments. With huge criminal enterprises emerging and nation states weaponising cyber-attacks, just how big is the problem?

In this latest podcast, portfolio manager Mike Seidenberg and host Cherry Reynard focus in on a single issue: geopolitics and how it’s affecting the technology sector. The geopolitical landscape has seen many issues over the past year, with war in Europe and a significant deterioration in US/China relations destabilising global trade. With technology being a largely globalised industry, how might these geopolitical tensions affect it? The pair delve into cyber security, semiconductors and super-computers amongst other factors.

Recorded and produced by Lansons.

At the sunset of 2022, Mike Seidenberg joined Cherry Reynard for the final time of the year to discuss how unprecedented macroeconomic factors (at least in recent memory) and nervous markets are combining to make managing a technology portfolio something like trying to find one’s sea legs on a ship being tossed about in rough seas.

It wasn’t an easy ride in 2022 and calm waters may be some way off yet, however Mike describes why he remains positive for the sector in the long term.

Recorded and Produced by Lansons.

2022 has undoubtedly been a difficult year so far for the technology sector and for technology investors in turn. Portfolio manager Mike Seidenberg joins host Cherry Reynard to discuss how the current negative market sentiment and economic backdrop is balanced against the ongoing demand drivers for tech firms as we look to the future. With the rollercoaster ride looking likely to continue in the near term at least, Mike sees active management as being key for investors.