AB Alpha Females—The Multi-Asset Investment Podcast

How can investors navigate the complexities of today's market to generate income while managing risk and uncertainty? Investing for income in today's volatile environment requires a balance of long-term strategic planning and short-term adaptability, leveraging diversification, and human intuition alongside technological advancements. ---------------------------------------------------------------...

How can technology and human collaboration together drive excellence in investment management? Rosalie Candido Louw, co-head of AllianceBernstein's Portfolio Solutions, tackles that question in this conversation with Karen Watkin. As she sees it, the integration of advanced technology, such as AI and cloud computing, has revolutionized the investment management industry by enabling faster decision...

How can investors effectively manage currency risk to optimize their portfolios in today's volatile markets? Julia Keating, Portfolio Analyst—Multi-Asset Solutions at AllianceBernstein, talks with Karen Watkin about the importance of strategic and tactical currency risk management in investment portfolios. She explains that while currency exposure can provide diversification and enhance portfolio...

How can investment grade credit offer both stability and opportunity in a volatile market? Karen Watkin hosts Souheir Asba, AllianceBernstein's Portfolio Manager—Investment Grade Credit, who explains how investment grade (IG) credit is a crucial part of the broader fixed income market due to its size, diversification and attractive yields at relatively low risk. In a potentially higher-for-longer...

Emerging markets offer investors exciting opportunities—but also higher risks. That's why Liz Bakarich, Director of Emerging Market Corporate Debt at AllianceBernstein, says investing in emerging markets requires detailed and strong fundamental research, including on-the-ground visits and interactions with local entities. Liz says understanding idiosyncratic risks, currency volatility and governan...

Is it possible to earn high levels of investment income without sinking under risk? Karen Watkin talks with Sonam Leki Dorji, Portfolio Manager at AllianceBernstein, about the importance of sourcing efficient income in high-income investing. Diversification, avoiding high-risk assets and being nimble to adapt to market changes are the hallmarks of her strategic approach. And it's especially import...

Saving for retirement poses increasing challenges in an ever-changing financial landscape. In this episode, Karen Watkin talks with Elena Wang,  a Portfolio Manager at AllianceBernstein, who says investors need to adopt a flexible and diversified approach to retirement savings, considering both growth and risk management. Elena was drawn to retirement solutions by a desire to make a real impact on...

Have you ever wondered how investment professionals navigate the complexities of forecasting asset returns and constructing robust portfolios in an uncertain world? In this insightful conversation, Alla Harmsworth from AllianceBernstein delves into the intricacies of long-term asset allocation, emphasizing the importance of humility in forecasting and the need for thoughtful portfolio construction...

How can investors navigate the complexities of today's economic environment while maintaining a long-term perspective? Sandra Rhouma, AllianceBernstein's European economist, emphasizes the importance of maintaining a calm and steady approach to economic forecasting that sifts through the noise and is focused on the global economy's long-term trajectory. By assigning probabilities to different risk...

As we draw the curtain on season one of AB Alpha Females, Karen reflects on the key themes that have shaped the discussions. From the transformative power of technology to the importance of chemistry, contacts and clients, we've explored the dynamic landscape of multi-asset investing. We've delved into the growing importance of environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations and the crit...

Given the sophistication of multi-asset portfolios, what challenges do operations teams face in managing them effectively? Karen is joined by Jennifer Santangelo, Head of Business Operations—Global Investment Shared Services at AB, who unpacks the complex interplay of portfolio management, operations and technology. Karen and Jen discuss the intricacies of building and managing multi-asset busines...

Can diversity be the cornerstone of a responsible future? Karen is joined by Jodie Tapscott, Director of Strategy - Responsible Investing at AB, who explains the practicalities of integrating material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors within strategies. Investing in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), she explains, can make a big impact on workforce effectiveness, highlighting...

Are bonds back? Karen is joined by Tiffanie Wong, Director of Fixed Income Responsible Investing Portfolio Management at AB, who delves into the resilience of the bond market, considering recent economic headwinds. Tiffanie explores how technology is reshaping investment strategies and the growing importance of environmental, social and governance factors in assessing creditworthiness. Through Tif...

Cast a broad net or focus on a small number of stocks? Karen is joined by Arpita Bhabhera, a Senior Research Analyst at AB, who explains her disciplined approach of sifting through thousands of stocks to find a few hidden gems. The conversation explores the value of diverse perspectives in avoiding groupthink and making sound investment decisions. Arpita also shares her experience with the Diversi...

What separates fund managers from the pack? Karen is joined by Alla Harmsworth, Co-Head of Institutional Solutions at AB, who dives into the world of fund selection. Alla introduces Alphalytics, an innovative tool that isolates unique sources of outperformance which cannot be accessed via simple passive strategies to help identify top-performing managers. The conversation delves into the power of...

Discerning market trends is often like appraising a work of art, so how can investors identify turning points across asset classes? Karen is joined by Caglasu Altunkopru, Head of Macro Strategy for AB's Multi-Asset Solutions team, who explores how she uses analysis of long-term trends and market cycles to guide portfolio decisions. While acknowledging the challenge of precise market timing, she di...

Is the 60/40 portfolio still relevant? Karen is joined by Defne Ozaltun, Portfolio Manager for AB's Multi-Asset Solutions team, who  says portfolio managers must find a precise mix of ingredients for multi-asset portfolios in evolving markets. Understanding how different income and return sources work together, she explains, is key to building a portfolio that's more than just the sum of its parts...

In our inaugural episode, Karen is joined by AB's Honor Solomon, CEO EMEA & Head of EMEA Retail Sales, who discusses her multifaceted role, emphasizing the importance of chemistry, contacts, and culture in building effective sales teams and client relationships. She highlights the complex nature of multi-asset solutions and the need to simplify these strategies for clients while maintaining robust...