Asset Allocator

Speaking to David Thorpe, contributing editor of Asset Allocator, and Dave Baxter, funds editor for Asset Allocator's sister title Investors' Chronicle, Lowe said it was important to understand the terminology around sustainability and impact and how it is used. The Asset Allocator Podcast is a fortnightly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing i...

This week David Thorpe, investment editor at FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors' Chronicle, have a chat about the trials and tribulations of the absolute return sector, including Abrdn's recent decision to launch a strategic review into the Gars fund. They then move onto Abrdn's announcement this week to sell its DFM business to LGT and why they found it a bit of a perplexin...

This week David Thorpe, investment editor on FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors' Chronicle, are joined by Alena Kosava, head of research at AJ Bell, to discuss the challenges of investing for income in the current climate. They discuss the relative attractiveness of different types of bonds, how Alena views the UK equity market at the moment and whether it is inevitable that...

This week David Thorpe, contributing editor at FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors' Chronicle, had a chat about how DFMs have been adjusting their portfolios as an uncertain 2023 gets under way. They discuss the barbell approach which some DFMs appear to be taking towards fixed income duration, the use of infrastructure and the move away from more niche assets like music roya...

Investors haven't been able to ditch UK equities fast enough, with billions of outflows from these funds during 2022. But that stands in contrast to the recent performance of the FTSE 100, which has approached record highs. So how can this circle be squared? To find out, we had a chat with Fahad Kamal, chief investment officer at Kleinwort Hambros, and Georgina Taylor, head of multi-asset at Inves...

This week David Thorpe, contributing editor on FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors' Chronicle, reflect on 2022 and look ahead to 2023. They discuss how income investors fared better than others during 2022, the trend among DFMs away from using strategic bond funds, and they reflect on last year's rotation from growth to value investing, and how it might pan out in the coming...

After an eventful year, Alex Funk, chief investment officer at Schroders Investment Solutions, joins David Thorpe, contributing editor at FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor at the Investors' Chronicle, to reflect on 2022. They discuss where Alex looked to find protection during the year's market turmoil, the outlook for 2023 and the challenges of trying to time a "the most forecasted recessi...

This week David Thorpe, contributing editor of FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor of the Investors' Chronicle, are joined by Fahad Hassan, chief investment officer of Albermarle Street Partners. They discuss the ongoing risks within equities and why he has sold out of multi-asset style funds. Fahad also explains why he's considering high-yield bonds and he weighs up the pros and cons of thes...

This week Jason Day, senior investment manager at Abrdn, joins Dave Baxter, funds editor at the Investors' Chronicle, and David Thorpe, contributing editor at FTAdviser, to discuss his approach to currency hedging amid the recent volatility in markets. They also discuss why he likes the "Jurassic Park" nature of UK equities, his use of trackers and how he has shaken up his alternatives holdings re...

This week David Thorpe, contributing editor of Asset Allocator is joined by Will Thompson, portfolio manager at Pacific Asset Management, while Dave Baxter is off on his holidays somewhere more exciting than the Asset Allocator podcast studio. Thompson tells us why and how he's preparing for a hard landing, how he's thinking of adjusting his bond holdings as we reach an interest rate "tipping poin...

This week Eleanor Ingilby, deputy head of portfolio management at Atomos (which until recently was called Sanlam), joins David Thorpe, contributing editor of Asset Allocator, and Dave Baxter, funds editor of the Investors Chronicle, to discuss how she is using property to achieve diversification and whether any uncorrelated assets really exist anymore. They also discuss how Atomos's split from the...

This week Jasper Thornton-Boelman, investment director at Parmenion, joins us to discuss how he has been using bonds in his portfolios recently amid the market turmoil and whether the recent volatility has changed their risk profile. He also discusses Parmenion's historic preference for direct property over infrastructure and why that is changing. Jasper also explains his approach to equity income...

This week David Thorpe, contributing editor on FTAdviser, is joined by Matthew Yeates, deputy chief investment officer at 7IM, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors' Chronicle. They discuss why a "changing tide" in manufacturing is the reason Matthew has moved underweight equities, and why he has been sceptical about US equities in particular for a while. Matthew also explains why he's ke...

This week Dave Baxter, funds editor of the Investors' Chronicle, and David Thorpe, contributing editor of FTAdviser, are joined by James Burns, managing partner for investment management at Evelyn Partners. They discuss the higher than average equity allocation within James's portfolios compared to other DFMs - 77 per cent in his balanced portfolio - and why he might start looking to cut his...

Many DFMs are launching ESG model portfolios and Charles Stanley has been one of those, having launched its responsible portfolios in April. They are managed by investment director Jane Bransgrove, who has joined us this week. She has a chat with David Thorpe, contributing editor at FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors' Chronicle, to discuss the challenges of understanding wha...

This week Dave Baxter, funds editor of the Investors' Chronicle, and David Thorpe, contributing editor of FTAdviser, are joined by John Husselbee, head of multi-asset at Liontrust. They discuss the danger of fund managers "changing their spots" by adapting their investment style to fit the changing macroeconomic environment, John explains why the portfolios he runs have a higher exposure to Europe...

This week Dave Baxter, funds editor of the Investors' Chronicle, and David Thorpe, contributing editor of FTAdviser, are joined by James Penny, chief investment officer at TAM Asset Management. They discuss the outlook for the rest of 2022 and why James is sceptical about the idea of a rotation to value, they explore how James has been keeping his portfolios afloat during the past six months and t...

One of the biggest questions on the minds of asset allocators at the moment is around the role of bonds in portfolios. It has been a rocky period but from an income perspective, yields have risen. This week FTAdviser contributing editor David Thorpe and Investors' Chronicle funds editor Dave Baxter are joined by Ninety One's head of multi-asset income John Stopford to discuss the role of bonds in...

On this week's edition of the Asset Allocator Podcast, Ben Gutteridge, director of Invesco's model portfolio service, joins us to discuss why he thinks we have reached peak inflation and why he is optimistic about growth investing. He joins David Thorpe, contributing editor of FTAdviser, and Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors Chronicle, to discuss the areas he's looking to move into as a r...

This week David Thorpe, contributing editor of Asset Allocator, and Dave Baxter, funds editor of Investors Chronicle, are joined by M&G Wealth's chief investment officer Shanti Kelemen. They discuss whether the considerable and persistent outflows seen from UK equities in recent years is a reaction to shorter-term market factors or a sign that investors are falling out of love with the idea of...

This week Asset Allocator contributor David Thorpe is joined by James Mee, co-head of multi-asset strategies at Waverton. They why James thinks commodity price rises may become "demand destructive", which could lead to inflation falling. They also discuss other reasons why James thinks there will be a decline in inflation. James also explains why he is concerned about sterling appreciating in valu...

This week Asset Allocator contributor David Thorpe is once again flying solo, as Dave Baxter finds something better to do, but he is joined by Stuart Clark, manager of Quilter's Wealthselect portfolio range. Quilter's Wealthselect range has recently expanded to include an ESG version, so David and Stuart discuss the challenges of building an ESG portfolio, how to avoid over-exposed to growth and h...

This week, while Dave Baxter is on holiday, Asset Allocator writer David Thorpe is joined by Chris Metcalfe, co-founder and chief investment officer at Iboss to discuss whether the US is now cheap enough to increase weightings, on the back of sell-offs at the start of 2022. They also discuss why Chris has started using absolute return funds again for the first time in several years, the prospects...

This week Darius McDermott, adviser to the Chelsea Managed Fund range, has a chat with Asset Allocator writers Dave Baxter and David Thorpe about moving away from government bonds and why some bonds still retain their attraction. They also discuss the pros and cons of investing in assets such as music royalties and shipping, and they discuss whether the value rally might last longer than some...

This week David Coombs, head of multi-asset investments at Rathbones, has a chat with Asset Allocator writers Dave Baxter and David Thorpe about the larger-than-average cash holdings his portfolios have tended to have and how it is part of his approach to managing risk. They also discuss his decision last year to reduce his exposure to technology, why he is investing in agriculture, and how inflat...