Robeco Asset Management Podcast

Academic literature tells us there are more than 300 factors. But not all can be exploited by investors. In this third episode of our new podcast series, Quant researcher Matthias Hanauer explains the five criteria these factors should meet in order to help achieve long-term alpha.

AI has shaken up the investment world, generating impressive stock-market gains for the perceived winners. Is the market now starting to move beyond its obsession with the usual suspects in the AI race? Portfolio managers Jack Neele and Daniel Ernst discuss how they’re dealing with these questions.

Active Quant offers stable, systematic outperformance with predictable risk-return characteristics. But what’s really in it for you? In the second of this new series on Quant Investing we sit down with Jeroen Hagens, Client Portfolio Manager for Quant Equities at Robeco, to get the inside scoop.

Quant investing has been called a ‘black box,’ but is that really the case? In the first of this new series on Quant Investing we sit down with Harald Lohre, Director of Quant Research at Robeco, to break down this myth.

Equity markets are living through one of the most powerful momentum runs in decades, driven in large part by the continued dominance of US large-cap equities. But with valuations soaring, the question is: can the winners keep on winning, or will the momentum train soon lose steam?

In a world in which the momentum factor is a key driver of investor flows, and where investment sentiment is heavily skewed towards US mega-caps, a contrarian view can pay off. Boston Partners portfolio manager Chris Hart talks about opportunities in healthcare, consumer staples, financials and industrials.

Robeco’s one-year outlook, titled ‘This is not a landing’, looks at how the US economy so far skillfully manages to defy all the indicators flashing an immediate recession risk. Peter van der Welle and Colin Graham discuss a broad range of both regions and asset classes in our latest podcast episode.

What 'four more years of Trump' means for financial markets. Erika van der Merwe with Robeco's Colin Graham and Lauren Mariano.

This has been a landmark year for active exchange traded funds. More than 300 new active ETFs have been launched so far in 2024, and around EUR 200 bln investor flows have made their way into this market segment. Why have investors become increasingly eager to get exposure to these not-so-passive investment vehicles?  

Markets are preparing for lower rates. Fixed income investors who need their portfolios to keep on generating enough income are having to evaluate their options. For those who don't have the stomach for high yield debt, the investment grade segment of the credit market has some interesting possibilities. Tune in to hear Jan Willem Knoll and Daniel Ender discuss the merits of subordinated debt.

Many investors are still underweight emerging market equities. While the asset class outperformed developed markets by a wide margin in the first decade after the millennium, emerging market equity returns have since lagged, leaving investors with a degree of skepticism. But, looking ahead, one cannot deny the immense promise that many emerging markets now offer. Tune in to hear the views of Vicki Chi and Karnail Sangha.

It’s almost unnerving, watching equity-market indices repeatedly touching new all-time highs. Particularly when the gains are founded on a very select group of stocks, while economic indicators are relatively mixed. In such a set-up – we ask portfolio manager Michiel Plakman – what’s the best strategy for managing a market-beating investment portfolio?

What does it take to truly see the significant shifts taking place in the world around us – those structural themes that might be obscured by the noise, but which require investors’ attention? Daniel Ernst and Sam Brasser are passionate about watching the world, discerning persistent themes and forming views on how to construct portfolios to benefit from them. Tune in to our latest podcast episode.

Anticipating how financial markets might react to the US presidential elections is a tough call for investors. Mike Mullaney, Director of Global Markets Research at Boston Partners, gives some clear guidelines on the scenarios.

While the returns of the Magnificent Seven stocks dwarfed the performance of thematic strategies in 2023, the tide may slowly be turning. In this podcast episode we talk to two seasoned thematic investors, Jack Neele and Roman Boner. 

Quant equity investing has enjoyed the resurgence of value since late 2020. Meanwhile, the quest for innovation in capturing returns continues unabated. Since the birth of quant investing, there’s been a steady rise in the number of factors that researchers claim can explain alpha. But it turns out that 15 factors are enough to capture most of the drivers of equity market returns.

A new aspect of the evolution in sustainable investing is the emphasis on what is termed 'transition finance'. It is a broad concept – some argue it’s too broad – but there are strong views that the complex shift that we need to get our economies to net zero will depend on this form of capital. How are investors going about the process of transition investing?

A year ago, many market participants were arguing that 2023 would be a great year for fixed income. Following a series of aggressive policy rate hikes, it seemed at the start of the year to be a great entry point. But interest rates continue to rise for most of 2023 and flows into the asset class turned out to be surprisingly modest. Have we now reached a turning point?

2023 gave investors little reason to complain. Both global equities and bondsare likely to deliver positive returns and Goldilocks still reigns supreme. In this podcast, Colin Graham and Peter van der Welle discuss the cracks in the resilience of Western economies (and their consumers), a contrarian view on the soft-landing consensus, inflation, geopolitics … and Taylor Swift.

The buzz around artificial intelligence has reached fever pitch, with growing awareness of what this technology can do. What does it all mean for investors? Can the power of AI be harnessed to create better investment outcomes? We’ve invited three specialists in this area, to discuss the various possibilities.