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The Asset Allocator Podcast

Every few weeks the Asset Allocator Podcast discusses the big issues in UK fund selection, the major investment trends of the moment, and exclusive data on how DFMs are positioning their portfolios. They'll be joined by guests from across the prof...


Latest episode

  • Is volatility back for good?

    29:10|
    With Donald Trump in the White House and China pursuing its AI ambitions, it seems like 2025 is going to be a volatile year.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins have a chat with Eren Osman, head of investment management at Arbuthnot Latham, to discuss how he is managing portfolios through this volatility.They also discuss whether the antics of the new Trump administration are changing the calculation for gilts versus Treasuries and whether the launch of Deepseek's chatbot has affected Osman's exposure to the semiconductor industry.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.

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  • Benchmarking for success

    22:44|
    Selecting a benchmark can be a thorny issue for portfolio managers since it is what their performance is judged against.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by Shanti Kelemen, chief investment officer at M&G Wealth, to discuss this issue.They discuss the process she uses, the common pitfalls and what the main challenges are in comparing one range of portfolios against another.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.
  • What to make of this week's AI rout?

    25:57|
    This week's stock market rout following the emergence of China's DeepSeek has up-ended expectations that stocks like Nvidia would continue powering upwards uninterrupted.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by Paul Flood, head of mixed-asset investing at Newton, to discuss the turbulent past few days.They also discuss the challenges of investing for income and his thoughts on Saba's bid for control over several investment trusts.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.
  • Why Gam has such a large exposure to US equities

    29:45|
    Gam allocates about a third of its portfolio to US equities which, even in a market where exposure to Wall Street is rising, is a punchy position.This week we are joined by Julian Howard, chief multi-asset investment strategist at Gam, to discuss why the company has taken such a position.He also chats with Joseph Wilkins and David Thorpe about volatility following the return of Donald Trump as US president and the role of asset allocation versus fund selection.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.
  • Why is RSMR's Stewart Smith such a big fan of Japan?

    23:55|
    Through the recent peaks and troughs, average exposure to Japanese equities in our database has been relatively unmoved at about 3.5 per cent.But Stewart Smith, head of MPS at RSMR, has the highest exposure in our database at more than 8 per cent.In this week's episode Joseph Wilkins and David Thorpe have a chat with him about why he's so keen on Japanese equities and why he's recently been cutting his UK exposure.They also discuss why he prefers to take an active approach to fixed income, even with government bonds.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.
  • Which US equity funds outperformed in 2024?

    24:15|
    The Asset Allocator Podcast is back for 2025 and this week David Thorpe, Joseph Wilkins and Dave Baxter kick off the new year by discussing the active US equity funds which managed to outperform the market in 2024 and they weigh up the investment case for China versus India.They also discuss how DFMs can compete in an increasingly crowded market.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.
  • What does the future have in store for MPS?

    22:39|
    In the final edition of the Asset Allocator Podcast of 2024, Joseph Wilkins is joined by Darren Ripton, head of investment at Abrdn, and Ben Hammond, managing director of consulting at the Lang Cat, to reflect on the past decade of model portfolio services and to ponder what the future might have in store.They discuss how the sector has changed, the pros and cons of MPS versus multi-asset, how the platform sector is helping and hindering MPS and how the sector might evolve over the next decade.The Asset Allocator Podcast is a weekly series aimed at discretionary fund managers, fund selectors and wealth managers, providing insight into the issues that drive investment decisions.To receive the Asset Allocator email in your inbox for free, sign up here.