Investment Grade

The term ‘fossil fuel financing’ refers to the provision of capital (including loans, investments, and other forms of capital) to companies involved in the exploration, extraction and production of coal, oil and natural gas.

Following the aggressive rates rally at the end of 2023, Q1 saw notable gains, with inflation surpassing expectations. Johnathan Owen, Portfolio Management, highlights a more promising inflation outlook and its implications for the Investment Grade team. 

After a tumultuous year for fixed income, government bond markets were finally delivering a story of falling inflation in Q4 2023. In our Investment Grade quarterly update, Gordon Shannon reflects on Q4, and in particular the month of December which proved to be one of the strongest months of the year, as hopes of multiple rate cuts in 2024 were accelerated.

After a horrible year for financial markets in 2022, the macro-outlook for 2023 had a lot of consensus views, with most predicting a much better year ahead, helped by supportive rate cuts from central banks and positive returns from both government bonds and credit.  

While bonds are once again finding their feet, investors have found themselves sitting on cash balances of 30% to 50%. This capital preservation trade has made perfect sense, but does it still make sense as we reach terminal rates?

Our Investment Grade team discusses the notable improvements seen in ESG disclosures over the past 24 months, categorising them into three main aspects; environmental, social and governance.

Gordon Shannon, Partner and Portfolio Management, highlights climate change as one of the main topics which gathers a tremendous amount of attention within ESG investing, discussing the Paris Agreement, lack of data and poor transparency. 

In our Investment Grade quarterly update, Gordon Shannon, reflects on government bond yields, which accelerated sharply at the end of Q3, as well as commenting on the behaviour of the European Central Banks over the quarter and the soft-landing 'fairytale' markets had hoped for.

Jack Daley, Portfolio Management, tackles a common question: When is the right time to add duration? This is a topic we frequently explore and debate.

Johnathan Owen, Portfolio Management, reflects on why the AT1 market has been brought into the spotlight this year, following the events of the US regional banking crisis and Credit Suisse.

It is our view that without a doubt 2022 was a year to forget for the bond market. Whether you held government bonds, high end corporate credit or riskier high yield paper, you would have taken a knock as steep increases in interest rates across the globe sent bond prices tumbling. 

This paper takes a deep dive into the flourishing ESG sector and examines the trends, challenges, and opportunities that have emerged in recent years, with a particular focus on data quality, the expansion of ESG labelled bonds, action from central banks and whether or not the green premium or ‘greenium’ makes sense for issuers.