Exchanges

The findings of Goldman Sachs Asset Management's (GSAM) annual insurance survey are in, and insurance companies generally believe that US markets are in late stages of the economic cycle. Of the companies surveyed, 84% indicated that the US will see a recession within the next two years, but only 2% think that the recession will come this year, explains GSAM's Mike Siegel. Given these views, along...

In the wake of the financial crisis, the low interest rate environment gave consumers little incentive to put their money into savings accounts. That's changing in the UK, says Goldman Sachs' Des McDaid, with savings rates "back on the agenda." In this episode, McDaid, who oversaw the launch of Marcus by Goldman Sachs in the UK, explains the factors driving the renewed demand for savings accounts...

The surge in US corporate buybacks to all-time highs in 2018 has generated public debate about the effects of buybacks on workers, companies, and the economy. We speak with William Lazonick, prof. at the University of Massachusetts, about the concerns driving this debate, at the core of which is the notion that buybacks come at the expense of investment. But GS portfolio strategists see little evi...

When banks reigned in their lending activities after the global financial crisis, there was a gap in the market as small-to-medium sized businesses had nowhere to go to raise capital that they needed to grow. In this episode, Greg Olafson and Nishi Somaiya of Goldman Sachs' Securities Division discuss how alternative asset managers have filled that gap in Europe through direct lending to middle-ma...

Emerging market economies are showing early signs of stabilization, according to Kevin Daly of Goldman Sachs Research, and a number of the factors that contributed to the weakness of EM economies last year have now been reversed. "There has already been the beginnings of a recovery from the lows pasted in September-October last year," he says. Also in the episode, Daly discusses the outlook for hi...

Technology is changing the physical layout of cities, says Jim Garman, who runs real estate investing for Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division in Europe. For instance, while e-commerce is driving down demand for brick-and-mortar storefronts, it's accelerating demand for warehouses and other logistical assets. "Logistics has become a very in-favor asset class for investors," Garman says. "Where...

Integrating ESG - environmental and social governance - into asset managers' portfolios is becoming a "business imperative," says Richard Manley, head of Environmental Social Governance Research in Goldman Sachs Research. In this episode, Manley explains the business case for ESG, why Europe is leading other regions and what households can do to lower their carbon footprint. This podcast was recor...

From our office in London, this episode is all about Europe's investing environment, including how investors are preparing for possible Brexit scenarios, drivers of the region's economic slowdown and where clients are finding alpha. "The number one issue that clients in Europe are facing is how do we get returns," says Andrew Wilson, CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management for Europe, the Middle Eas...

A Goldman Sachs Research study of the last 100 years suggests US recessions can be boiled down to five major causes - and several (like industrial and oil supply shocks) look structurally less threatening today. But among those that still bear close watching are the financial balances of households and corporations, which GS Research's Chief Credit Strategist Lotfi Karoui says aren't showing signs...

In France, Goldman Sachs Investment Banking clients are focused on key three risk factors, according to Goldman Sachs' Pierre Hudry: geopolitical outlook, market stability and rising shareholder activism. Amid the uncertainty, however, French management teams remain focused on scaling businesses to compete on the global stage. "Achieving scale and being able to compete notably with the US players,...

This episode is all about Europe's technology sector, from the pace of tech disruption and the growth of AI, to how companies are innovating in the face of political and regulatory constraints and more. Jo Hannaford of Goldman Sachs' Technology Division, points to Europe's geography as a key driver for development and innovation in technology in the region. "You feel like [in] Europe that [the cou...

The bumpy deceleration underway in China will be met with additional economic policy easing, albeit with some notable differences to previous stimulus, says Goldman Sachs Research's Andrew Tilton. He expects a slightly smaller and later stimulus relative to other slowdowns, leveraging not only Chinese policymakers' typical favored tools like infrastructure spending but also a tax cut. This podcast...

Last year, venture capital investment in China surpassed North American totals for the first time in history, bringing Chinese business models to a stage and scale that "the entire world needs to pay attention to" in the eyes of Goldman Sachs Research's Piyush Mubayi. Corporate venture capital plays a major role: the country's big tech companies are active investors domestically, and now they're a...

Making a comeback alongside higher spot prices this year will be the rapid growth in US shale, says Jeff Currie, with new pipeline capacity unlocking supply from the Permian Basin and re-anchoring the market around a fast-cycle, lower-cost New Oil Order. This podcast was recorded on January 10, 2019. All price references and market forecasts correspond to the date of this recording. This podcast s...

"Startups right now are all using technology in different ways to drive growth, to drive expansion internationally...to continue to innovate their products..." says Kim Posnett of Goldman Sachs Investment Banking, who expects a strong IPO and M&A market for tech companies in 2019 given the pervasiveness of technological applications and access to capital. In this episode, Posnett discusses what to...

"[As a founder] there is no stopping. The commitment is bottomless in a way that I've never had before...and so it requires a level of emotional resilience and balance that is not the easiest thing to do," says Josh Hoffman, co-founder and CEO of biotech startup Zymergen in the latest episode of the firm's podcast, Exchanges at Goldman Sachs. Hoffman joined Jen Rubio, co-founder and chief brand of...

In our first ever podcast taped in Hong Kong, we're exploring one of the highest growth sectors in China: healthcare. Stephanie Hui, head of Goldman Sachs' Merchant Banking Division in Asia-Pacific, ex-Japan, joins us in the studio to discuss the drivers behind healthcare's explosive growth in China and how investors are viewing the industry's risk and reward. This podcast was recorded on October...

In this episode, we sit down with Amanda Hindlian and Sandra Lawson, two of the authors of a Goldman Sachs Global Markets Institute report called "Closing the gender gaps: Advancing women in corporate America." The report aims to contribute to the ongoing dialogue surrounding gender equality by analyzing some of the drivers of the gender gaps in seniority and pay and by helping clients to address...

This episode is all about the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR as it's commonly called. Beth Hammack, Goldman Sachs' global treasurer, and Jason Granet, head of the firm's LIBOR transition efforts, discuss what LIBOR is, what went wrong with the interest rate and now why and how the financial industry is moving to an alternative rate. As far as what the shift away from LIBOR means for marke...

Poland is sometimes overshadowed by its European neighbors, but it's an important player within the region, according to Goldman Sachs' Artur Tomala and Brent Watson. In this episode, Tomala and Watson describe Poland's economic, business and political environment and why robust job opportunities are leading many Poland emigrates to return home. "We're starting to see people come back," Watson say...

Europe's energy sector is undergoing a transformation toward sustainable energy sources, says Goldman Sachs Research's Alberto Gandolfi. In this episode, Gandolfi discusses why clean energy has started to undercut the cost of conventional generation. "In several regions of Europe right now, renewables are way, way cheaper than any other technology. So we think they're going to displace conventiona...

International Goldman Sachs Asset Management CEO Sheila Patel joins us in the studio to discuss key trends facing investors, from where opportunities remain in emerging markets assets to the growth of ESG investing to sovereign wealth funds' shift towards transparency. "Across the board [with both legacy and new sovereign wealth funds] what you've seen go on is an increase in transparency, a reali...

Europe's business environment is in focus as companies simplify their corporate structure, global trade tensions continue and the tech industry faces increased scrutiny. Marc Nachmann, co-head of the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division, joins us to talk through how these factors and more are shaping business decisions and M&A in Europe. "CEO confidence remains quite strong in light of strong...

"The scale of deals we're seeing [in Asia] is something we've never seen before," says Alison Mass of the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division. While Mass has been traveling to Asia for more than twenty years to meet with private equity clients, her most recent business trip with colleague Brian DeCenzo felt different in terms of the industry's maturation and international sophistication. In...

Looking at investor returns, European equities are trailing U.S. peers while beating emerging-market stocks in 2018. As part of our closer look at emerging economic and market themes in Europe, Sharon Bell of Goldman Sachs Research discusses the factors that explain this performance, zeroing in on U.K., German and French stocks. Bell breaks down investors' preference for growth companies over valu...