Emerging markets are home to the world’s fastest-growing economies and their long-term equity returns have attracted investors. In the past several years, however, many investors may have been disappointed by lacklustre results from their emerging markets allocations. This session argued that investors should look to companies with strong secular growth to find alpha in emerging markets.[vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Sara%20Moreno%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Managing%20director%2C%20emerging%20markets%20PM%20and%20healthcare%20specialist%2C%20Jennison%20(United%20States)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Sara%20Moreno%20is%20an%20emerging%20markets%20equity%20portfolio%20manager%20and%20research%20analyst.%20She%20joined%20Jennison%20in%202011.%20She%20previously%20spent%20three%20years%20with%20Loomis%20Sayles%20as%20a%20research%20analyst%20where%20she%20covered%20stocks%20in%20Latin%20America%20and%20emerging%20Eastern%20Europe%2C%20the%20Middle%20East%2C%20and%20Africa.%20Prior%20to%20Loomis%20Sayles%2C%20she%20worked%20at%20Citi%20Global%20Markets%2C%20Goldman%20Sachs%2C%20and%20Moody%E2%80%99s.%20She%20received%20a%20BA%20in%20economics%20from%20Bryn%20Mawr%20College%20and%20an%20MBA%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Chicago.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2244366%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fsara-moreno-70aa57%2F%22%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22Mark%20Walker%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20investment%20officer%2C%20Coal%20Pension%20Trustees%20(United%20Kingdom)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Mark%20Walker%20is%20chief%20investment%20officer%20of%20Coal%20Pension%20Trustees%20Services%20(CPT)%2C%20the%20in%20house%20executive%20responsible%20for%20the%20%C2%A321%20billion%20of%20investments%20of%20the%20Mineworkers%E2%80%99%20Pension%20Scheme%20and%20the%20British%20Coal%20Staff%20Superannuation%20Scheme.%5Cn%5CnPrior%20to%20joining%20CPT%2C%20Walker%20was%20managing%20director%20and%20global%20chief%20investment%20officer%20of%20the%20Univest%20Company%2C%20Unilever%E2%80%99s%20internal%20investment%20group.%20The%20Univest%20Company%20oversees%20the%20investments%20of%20Unilever%E2%80%99s%20pension%20plans%20in%20over%2040%20countries.%20Walker%20joined%20Unilever%20from%20Mercer%20where%20he%20was%20a%20partner%20and%20head%20of%20the%20London%20investment%20consulting%20unit.%5Cn%5CnWalker%20has%20over%2025%20years%20of%20experience%20in%20actuarial%2C%20pensions%20and%20investment%20work.%20He%20is%20a%20Fellow%20of%20the%20Institute%20of%20Actuaries%20and%20a%20member%20of%20the%20300%20Club.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2244367%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fmark-walker-9b115a42%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Duk%22%7D%5D” title=”Speakers” el_class=””][vc_quotes layout=”accordion” quotes=”%5B%7B%22name%22%3A%22Colin%20Tate%22%2C%22job_role%22%3A%22Chief%20executive%2C%20Conexus%20Financial%20(Australia)%22%2C%22content%22%3A%22Tate%20has%20been%20an%20investment%20industry%20media%20publisher%20and%20conference%20producer%20since%201996.%20In%20his%20media%20career%2C%20Tate%20has%20launched%20and%20overseen%20dozens%20of%20print%20and%20electronic%20publications.%20He%20is%20the%20chief%20executive%20and%20major%20shareholder%20of%20Conexus%20Financial%2C%20which%20was%20formed%20in%202005%2C%20and%20is%20headquartered%20in%20Sydney%2C%20Australia.%20The%20company%20stages%20more%20than%2020%20conferences%20and%20events%20each%20year%20%E2%80%93%20in%20London%2C%20New%20York%2C%20San%20Francisco%2C%20Los%20Angeles%2C%20Amsterdam%2C%20Beijing%2C%20Sydney%20and%20Melbourne%20%E2%80%93%20and%20publishes%20five%20media%20brands%2C%20including%20the%20global%20website%20and%20strategy%20newsletter%20for%20global%20institutional%20investors%20conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com.%20One%20of%20the%20company%E2%80%99s%20signature%20events%20is%20the%20bi-annual%20Fiduciary%20Investors%20Symposium.%20Conexus%20Financial%E2%80%99s%20events%20aim%20to%20place%20the%20responsibilities%20of%20investors%20in%20wider%20societal%2C%20and%20political%20contexts%2C%20as%20well%20as%20promote%20the%20long-term%20stability%20of%20markets%20and%20sustainable%20retirement%20incomes.%20Tate%20served%20for%20seven%20years%20on%20the%20board%20of%20Australia%E2%80%99s%20most%20high%20profile%20homeless%20charity%2C%20The%20Wayside%20Chapel%3B%20and%20he%20has%20underwritten%20the%20welfare%20of%2060%2C000%20people%20in%2028%20villages%20throughout%20Uganda%20via%20The%20Hunger%20Project.%22%2C%22image%22%3A%2244341%22%2C%22linkedin%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fcolin-tate-839a5a181%2F%22%7D%5D” title=”Moderator” el_class=””][vc_empty_space height=”10px”]
Key takeaways
A poll of delegates finds over 50 per cent of attendees are not currently skewing their emerging market allocations to China in a new show of caution.
An active approach to investing in emerging markets where investment is focused on bottom-up opportunities in companies exposed to secular growth reaps rewards.
Investors are less focused on market cap and more focused on a split between regions. If investors only look at equity market cap as a signpost to future growth opportunities, they are likely to be disappointed.
Looking at the data, carbon emission intensity in emerging markets comes particularly from China; China is bigger than other markets.
Digital transformation at ground level in emerging markets is driving opportunities. It is also behind financial inclusion across populations excluded by the traditional banking sector.
China led the revolution, using e-commerce to increase inclusion and allowing companies to market directly to consumers.
One of the most important secular growth trends in China is in healthcare where the aging population is also wealthier, with money to spend.
Regarding investment in private equity in China, the biggest risk is permanent loss of capital. Investors should focus on individual investments at a micro level.
Emerging economies are no longer export led. For sure, Chinese growth has fuelled commodity, export-led demand in many emerging economies but now the emerging markets need to focus on local growth.
Is your emerging markets allocation skewed towards China?[vc_line_chart x_values=”” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22No%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2256%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22blue%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22No%20but%20plan%20for%20it%20to%20be%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2211%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22pink%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Yes%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2230%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22blue%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2350485b%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Yes%20and%20want%20to%20increase%20that%20skew%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%224%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22sandy-brown%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2375d69c%22%7D%5D”]
The big difference between the vaccine rollouts and the scale of the stimulus measures across the world could result in a K-shaped global economic recovery, with much of the developed world booming but poorer countries continuing to struggle. However the
Investors discuss how technological change and the new green economy is re-pricing assets in infrastructure, as well as the trend to substitute fixed income with infrastructure debt. But investors should not to lose sight of traditional infrastructure characteristics in their quest to tap new trends. Predictable cashflows and downside protection remain central.
Research that looks at the relationship between economic transparency and defining investment qualities such as yield spreads, credit ratings and stock price volatility shows sovereign transparency helps improve the value of assets, enables countries to lower their borrowing costs and achieve a better credit rating.
Inflation holds investor opportunities as well as perils. Emerging markets, commodities and linkers do well in a climate of rising prices while central banks are likely to act quickly and aggressively in response rather than early or gradually.
The unprecedented level of government debt signals sub-par economic growth ahead, warned Farouki Majeed, chief investment officer, Ohio School Employees Retirement System speaking at FIS Digital alongside Rich Randall, head of global debt at IFM Investors.
Inflation is the number one investor concern and whether it is here to stay was the subject of much debate at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium. While its longevity is contested it was agreed that its presence has important implications for the correlation between bonds and equities which creates problems for portfolio design. Investors at PGIM, QMAW, CPP Investments and NEST discuss.
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