Latest White Papers – Page 59
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White papersWomen and Investment
Men and women differ in their investment decisions. In this article, we review the main differences in risk aversion, portfolio choices, venture capital investment, and socially responsible investing, as well as their causes: genetic and social factors, financial education, advice, etc. Gender differences raise important questions for public policy, particularly regarding women’s financial adequacy in retirement. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence and the associated new financial services (fintechs and robo-advisors) can now offer promising tools to reduce inequalities.
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White papersDecoding tariffs: What’s the economic impact?
A new round of tariffs targeting Canada, Mexico and China has whipsawed financial markets in recent days as investors wrestle with the implications of rising policy uncertainty and the impact on the global economy.
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White papersGermany’s historic step to raise spending
“A realisation in Europe on the need to spend more on defence and infrastructure has created a positive sentiment, leading to the recent upside in the markets.”
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White papersA Higher Inflation Future and the Need for Real Assets
The risk of higher equilibrium inflation is a key marker of the notion that investors face a new regime. Recent policy announcements have lent more weight to the idea that the path of inflation might be upward. In this note we focus on the disparate forces that imply a higher long-term level of inflation.
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White papersGerman fiscal expansion – Whatever it takes!
On 4 March, Friedrich Merz, Germany’s chancellor-in-waiting, proposed a constitutional amendment that would pave the way for an extensive programme to boost defence spending and overhaul German infrastructure. By employing, in English, the phrase “whatever-it-takes”, Merz made sure there was no doubt about the scale of his intentions.
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White papersClimate-Related Financial Stress-Testing and Scenarios Valuation
We apply transition scenarios from the global multi-region multi-sector energy-economic MIT EPPA model to assess a large sample of issuers at the company level. We model the evolution of revenues and earnings for companies in the MSCI World Index under several scenarios of global emission mitigation (1.5°C, below 2°C, below 2°C delayed, and 1.5°C with limited availability of carbon dioxide removal technologies), comparing these to current trends. We analyze direct emission mitigation costs, indirect costs from the supply chain, capital expenditures, and cash flow trajectories, and their influence on other economic variables.
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White papersLocked ‘n’ loaded and ready to fire: first take on China’s National People’s Congress (NPC)
Premier Li Qiang kicked off the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress (NPC) with the government’s Work Report, marking the nation’s biggest political event of the year. Besides a busy calendar of political decision-making, the NPC is also closely watched by markets as Beijing sets the course for the economy and macro policies for the remainder of 2025.
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White papersHow Active ETFs Can Help Investors Fine-Tune Portfolio Construction
Active ETFs deliver the advantages of active management and the ETF wrapper. Thanks to this unique combination of benefits, active ETFs offer investors a flexible, efficient complement to existing allocations that can help diversify their portfolios.
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White papersIncome Generation: Seeking Steady Streams in Unstable Times
We believe the appeal of stable income is growing in a world of macro uncertainty, policy unpredictability and rapid artificial intelligence (AI) developments.
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White papersHarnessing Technological Change in Private Markets
Private markets present a unique avenue to capitalize on waves of technological change. Investors can do so across three complementary pillars, each with distinct investment characteristics and investment models.
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White papersSustainable Investing: A Performance-Oriented Approach
Sustainable investing is entering a new phase. In the years ahead, we think performance will be the key driver of market growth, and investors will focus increasingly on linkages to alpha, value creation and the fundamentals of investing.
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White papersFebruary jobs report: A sanguine number… for now
The February jobs report showed a 151,000-worker increase in payrolls, broadly in line with consensus expectations, defying fears of significant cracks in the labor market. Yet, while the worst fears were not met, the report did confirm that the labor market is cooling. Furthermore, with no shortage of headwinds confronting the U.S. economy, including federal government layoffs, public spending cuts, and tariff uncertainty-related inertia, the softening trend will likely persist and potentially deepen in the coming months.
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White papersTrade tensions: Navigating market risks
Escalating trade tensions are injecting fresh volatility into markets. The U.S. trade deficit, which remains sizable with key partners like China, Mexico, and Europe, underscores the stakes in ongoing trade disputes. However, while tariffs could increase costs and disrupt supply chains, history suggests that markets adapt over time. A well-diversified portfolio remains the best defense against short-term uncertainty.
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White papersForget the Magnificent 7: Meet China’s Terrific 10
China’s top tech firms are emerging as global contenders as President Xi Jinping aims to boost innovation and revitalize his country’s economy.
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White papersLocal-Currency Frontier Bonds: EMD’s New Horizon
High yields, surprisingly low volatility and strong diversification benefits are attracting investor interest.
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White papersGermany’s Game-Changing Election
The country’s politics are getting a boost of uncharacteristic urgency from coming Chancellor Friedrich Merz, with even the constitutional “debt brake” up for grabs.
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White papersDiversity equity and inclusion investment opportunities
Pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has been simmering since 2023, culminating recently with the actions of the Trump administration in the US. We believe that DEI does not hurt institutions nor compromise merit. In fact, it makes them stronger and enhances long-term performance. While there are constructive ways to improve the implementation of such policies, denouncing them altogether ignores their many benefits.
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White papersMarket uncertainty ramps up as geopolitical tensions rise
Market performance has been challenged over recent weeks. The more benign macroeconomic backdrop that investors had in mind going into 2025 has arguably been shattered. The US administration’s challenges to the global trading and security order have the potential to disrupt trade, capital flows, consumption, investment spending and government policy.
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White papersMarch ECB meeting: Data dependence in a world of uncertainty
As expected, the European Central Bank (ECB) cut its policy rates today for the sixth time in this cycle, marking its fifth straight cut. The interest rate on the main refinancing operations, the marginal lending facility, and the deposit facility were each lowered by 25 basis points to 2.65%, 2.90%, and 2.50%, respectively.
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White papersUsing Factor investing to integrate sustainability objectives into a “3D” portfolio
The general philosophy of systematic equity investing and Factor investing is based on the idea that sustained long-term performance can be achieved through a well-diversified exposure to rewarded equity factors which are expected to effectively capture risk premia and optimize the risk budget of a portfolio.
