Critical thinking

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Why is water, essential to life on earth, not more central to investors’ decision making? In this episode dedicated to Earth Day, Mark Longbottom is joined by Helga Birgden and John Elmore-Jones to discuss their latest research into the...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. The Russia – Ukraine conflict continues to cause uncertainty for investors. Energy prices and Inflation continues to rise globally and the conversation has turned from transitory inflation to the possibility of stagflation. Listen to Eri...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. The escalating conflict in Ukraine has resulted in far-reaching outcomes for financial markets and the global economy. Rich Nuzum, President of Investments & Retirement, Mercer, and Jo Holden , Global Head of Investment Research, dis...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Bitcoin and Gold are often compared to one another with Bitcoin having even been referred to as “digital gold”. In this episode, Nick White, Matt Scott and our special guest Urs Bolt , discuss the similarities, differences, and obstacles...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.   The Russia – Ukraine conflict is causing a lot of uncertainty for investors and is an evolving situation. The implications from the conflict and subsequent sanctions from global leaders are far reaching and yet to be fully understood. ...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.   Carbon emissions have understandably been a key focus for attention to avoid or diminish the climate crisis. However, a wider lens is needed to sustainably service the food, water, housing, labor and transport needs of almost eight bil...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Advisors and their clients need to be adaptable to the challenges that lie ahead. Mercer has identified five areas for financial intermediaries to consider – areas we believe are critical for long-term success.   Read the  full paper her...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Endowments and foundations are facing an environment of rich equity valuations, ultra-low fixed-income yields, and newly awakened inflation, coupled with concerns on environmental and societal problems. In this episode our not for profit...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Climate change, social upheaval and global instability are inescapable for us as a society - but what can we do as investors? In this in-depth, two part podcast, Mercer's Vanessa Hodge speaks to distinguished behavioural scientist D...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Climate change, social upheaval and global instability are inescapable for us as a society - but what can we do as investors? In this in-depth, two part podcast, Mercer's Vanessa Hodge speaks to distinguished behavioural scientist D...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. The Covid-19 crisis dug a deep economic hole in 2020. If 2021 was the year when the hole was filled, 2022 should see building work commence on the freshly levelled ground. In practice, the recovery has not been as straight forward as tha...

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions. Substantial and profound changes are rapidly reshaping the world as we know it, with significant implications for investors. This vibrant re-imaging can be encapsulated in a single word: Metamorphosis. Jo Holden, Global Head of Investmen...

US Interest rates: where to from here?  With the Fed likely to start tapering their bond purchases this year, attention will soon turn to when they will raise interest rates and how high they will get. Will rates stay at exceptionally low levels or might we see the sort of levels we saw before the Great Financial Crisis?   Is it Japan’s time to shine? Japanese equities have been unloved for a long...

How do investors move from curiosity to conviction when it comes to increasing diversity in their portfolios? In this episode, Bob L Greene, President and CEO of National Association of Investment Companies, the industry association for diverse-owned private equity firms and hedge funds,  joins our Mercer specialists to discuss how LPs could achieve greater diversity whether based on portfolio req...

Institutional investors, in growing numbers, are announcing their aims to reduce portfolio emissions to net-zero, with almost half of global assets estimated to be pledged to meet climate change goals. The drivers are two-fold: the near-term risks and opportunities presented by the low-carbon transition already underway, plus the expectation that a 1.5°C climate scenario will allow investors to co...

In this episode, Rupert is joined by colleagues Elizabeth Paine and Matt Scott to discuss developments in the world of cryptoassets and the wider digital ecosystem they underpin including decentralized finance.   Whilst it is tempting to dismiss most or all of the thousands of cryptoassets and their use cases as being part of a very old story, the get rich quick scheme, Matt and Lizzie will attemp...

Equities have come a long way over the last 15 months with some non-tech companies at last outperforming popular technology names. Rupert Watson, will be chatting with Larry Vasquez and Jan-Hein van den Akker, about whether this will continue and discuss the implications of recent signs of inflation and the possibility of higher bond yields over the next few years. This content is for institutiona...

Global systemic risks could significantly influence investor returns and long-term objectives in both positive and negative ways. Investors should understand what these risks are, along with the opportunities they may also bring, and implement an efficient strategy to integrate them into their portfolios. Join our guest speakers, as they discuss their findings from our recent white paper - Trendse...

The focus on diversity, equity and inclusion within the workplace has been increasing for several years but has been accelerated by Covid. Hear why it is important, how we include it in our managers research and how each of us as individuals can make a difference This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any...

The Chinese economy is now entering into a new phase of development that we believe will help it become a moderately prosperous nation by 2035 and to achieve full modernisation by 2050. We assess the opportunities and challenges of this transition and explore what this means for global investors and capital markets. This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does...

Inflation fears are rising.  After 10 years of inflation being too low that might actually be good news.  But what are the implications for bonds, equities and portfolio construction more generally? Niall O’Sullivan (EMEA & Asia CIO) and Nick White (Global Strategic Research Director) join Rupert Watson to discuss their views on the topic on every investor’s lips. This content is for instituti...

Join Rupert Watson and Susan McDermott as they discuss the transition from the Trump to the Biden administration and what effect this might have on climate change and the china/US relationship. They’ll share their views on whether they see opportunities in bitcoin and china in addition to sharing Mercer’s latest house views and what this means for markets more broadly. This content is for institut...