Critical thinking

We recorded this episode as a part of a podcast series on the occasion of COP27. Each episode illustrates the breadth and depth of Marsh McLennan’s climate capabilities. The issues addressed throughout the series include investment transition, the insurance sector’s role in climate adaption, communities and businesses’ exposure to physical risks, and how companies need to address the inextricable...

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. In this episode, Rachel Elwell, CEO of Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, discusses their journey to achieve net zero by 2050 with Mercer Research Heads, Rich Dell and Jo Holden. They also explore how to overcome some of the concerns...

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. Wealth managers face a combination of issues as global markets enter yet another period of uncertainty while their clients demand sustainable returns – so how are they meeting these challenges? In this episode, Mercer colleagues and spec...

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. Evolution is change, and while change might be continuous, its pace may vary over time. The private markets investment landscape has certainly changed over the years since its beginning in the 1940s and has grown to become a ten trillion...

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. In this episode, Marg Franklin, President and CEO of the CFA Institute unpacks the 2022 Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension Index with lead author David Knox, a Senior Partner at Mercer.  Throughout, they explore the results of year’s in...

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. Mercer’s Damien Davis is joined by Rebecca Myatt, a Portfolio Manager with First Sentier Investors and Indira Sabitova, a Portfolio Manager with Mercer to explore both the potential benefits of listed infrastructure and what the future h...

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 fear of recession is dominating everyone's mind-set at the moment. The global economy has been slowing and is likely to continue to do so on the back of high commodity prices, rising interest rates and tightening financial condi...

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. In this episode, Mercer UK’s Sustainability Integration Lead, Vanessa Hodge is joined by Ashleigh Morris, CEO and co-founder of Coreo and Jillian Reid, Partner in Mercer’s global Sustainable Investment Team to discuss their recent Invest...

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. To go straight to one of the key findings, see the chapters below: 1:45 - Macro concerns reflected in the sentiment of the sector 19:22 - Private markets — The big migration, with special guest Dina Richard, Trinity Health 38:05 - Outsou...

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. Inflationary pressures that began bubbling during the Covid crisis have come to a head, and central banks are fighting it by engineering an economic slowdown. Risks remain high in some markets, in others there are grounds for optimism an...

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. Performance of active equity strategies in Q1 2022 was challenging, leading to unfavourable relative returns over the quarter and, in a number of areas, over the last 12 months. This has raised questions over active management and how in...

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. Join Rupert Watson, Head of Asset Allocation Europe and Rachel Volynsky, CIO Canada as they discuss the outlook for equities after significant falls this year. The FED has faced criticism for being too slow to tighten financial condition...

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. Rich Nuzum, President of Investments & Retirement, Mercer discusses his perspectives coming away from Davos with International Head of Clients, Mark McNulty.  Listen as Rich shares learnings and new ideas from meeting CEOs, governmen...

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. In this episode, Amy Ridge is joined by Dr Ashby Monk, research director at Stanford University’s Long-Term Investing initiative, and Billy Charlton, Mercer’s global head of private markets data analytics & research, to discuss some...

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 level of portfolio protection from high-quality debt instruments that generations of investors have relied with the 60/40 portfolio has been challenged. Investors need more tools in the toolkit. Gold and some currencies can protect w...

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. In this episode, Angelika Delen is joined by impact investing expert Charly Kleissner, PhD to discuss the difference between impact and deep impact investing, the importance of transparency and how investors need to work together to chan...

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...