As artificial intelligence models become more sophisticated, asset owners and managers are rethinking portfolio construction as an activity sitting at the nexus of human and machine, which means gaining an edge over the market increasingly needs investors to tap into the wisdom from both sources.
Demographic trends will have a profound impact on pension funds’ investment returns, argued Patrick Zweifel, chief economist at Pictet Asset Management speaking at the Fiduciary Investors’ Symposium at Harvard University. He said ageing populations mean retirement ages need to rise and will see pension funds increase risk to stretch for returns.
Look no further than the economic travails of Italy and Japan to see the perils of Modern Monetary Theory, MMT, said Sonal Desai, CIO, fixed income at Franklin Templeton. Speaking at the Fiduciary Investors’ Symposium at Harvard University, she countered the arguments of Stephanie Kelton, a leading MMT scholar at Stony Brook University and senior economic advisor to presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders who espoused the virtues of MMT in a previous session MMT: A solution to broken policy?
Bert Feuss, senior vice president, investments at the $13.5 billion Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCF, explains why diversity is so important, the steps the impact investor has taken to address the institutionalised lack of diversity, and the impact on performance.
As concerns about climate change reach fever pitch, Harvard Business School has published a report that shows investment strategies that “aggressively’ reduce carbon emissions can significantly boost fund performance.
The Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Harvard University brought together more than 85 asset owners from 20 countries to discuss globalisation, human capital, inequality, longevity, technology, medicine and ethics, and the role of institutional capital in creating real change in the world. We were joined by many distinguished speakers and have put together a podcast series of our favourite sessions.
William Haseltine had a long career at Harvard Medical School, educating a generation of doctors, and designing the strategy to develop the first treatment for HIV/AIDS. He addressed the Fiduciary Investors Symposium about important topics in medicine and health development.
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