The Asset Allocator Podcast

This week Ben Kumar, head of equity strategy at 7IM, joins David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins to explain why 7IM sold out their healthcare exposure and which themes they are backing now. They also discuss how he’s approaching dollar weakness and what UK banking stocks can tell us about crypto as an investment.

Despite what may seem like Donald Trump’s best attempts, the S&P 500 continues to rise ever upwards.This week Dave Baxter and Joseph Wilkins talk to Ernst Knacke, head of investment research at Shard Capital, about whether it’s continued rise is justified or whether the markets are missing something.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.

This week saw the launch of Shard Capital's 'permanent portfolios' which shun the traditional 60:40 model to create a proposition to protect against major drawdowns that could result from macroeconomic and geopolitical turmoil.Dave Baxter and Joseph Wilkins discuss these portfolios and whether it is possible to create a single solution which rides out every bump.They also discuss whether increased volatility is something investors will just have to learn to live with, reflecting on recent commentary in Asset Allocator by historian Russell NapierThe 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.

Ever since Donald Trump announced he was "reforming" the US approach to trade, the question of whether the American equities and government bonds will continue to hold their pre-eminent position has been hotly debated.This week Joseph Wilkins, David Thorpe and Damian Fantato discuss the extent to which allocators are moving away from the US.They also discuss the state of the wealth management sector in light of some new research by Platforum which suggests not all is as rosey as it could be, and they discuss the rising price of gold and silver.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.

A lot of focus recently has been on the pros and cons of equal-weight exposure but other factors are available, such as minimum volatility, momentum and value.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by William Marshall, chief investment officer of Hymans Robertson Investment Services, to discuss why he is keen on factor investing and how he uses it.They also discuss the recent volatility seen in the fixed income market and whether alternative options exist. And they discuss the continued dominance of US equities at the expense of other regions.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.

Typically, fiscal and monetary policy is counter cyclical but in recent years this appears to have changed, most prominently in the US fiscal policy. This is complicating monetary policy and the task of running portfolios.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by Peter Dalgliesh, chief investment officer at Parmenion, to discuss how this is affecting his portfolios and how it is affecting the value and growth styles of investing.They also discuss seeking downside protection, valuations and whether US markets have reached some sort of new normal.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.

In 2011 the Federal Reserve stopped issuing 30-year bonds to "twist" the maturity profile and reduce the nominal value of US debt.This week we're joined by Henry Cobbe, the founder and head of research at Elston Consulting, who has recently written a white paper calling for a British version of what became known as "operation twist".David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins discuss how he thinks retail investors can be incentivised to "step in where pension schemes are stepping out".They also discuss the rising price of gold and the current state of the ESG portfolio management market, based on Henry's consulting work with financial advice firms.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.

At times it might seem like Donald Trump's campaign slogan was actually "make markets volatile again". If so, he seems to have succeeded.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by Nathan Sweeney, chief investment officer of multi-asset solutions at Marlborough.They discuss navigating Donald Trump's role in the markets, why he's been adding to the US and Japan and the search for protection from volatility.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.

Comparing the performance of model portfolio solutions can sometimes be a challenge, given the difference risk levels and approaches across the market.This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins discuss the trials and tribulations of achieving this, given Arc's recent decision to launch a performance index.They also discuss SDR labelling regulations and the FCA's decision to pause these for portfolio managers, and the recent recovery of a poor performing fund.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.