Shows / Asset Allocator
Asset Allocator
Every week the Asset Allocator Podcast discusses the big issues in UK fund selection, the major investment trends of the moment, and exclusive data on how wealth managers are positioning their portfolios. They'll be joined by guests from across the profession to unpick some of these trends.
Asset Allocator is a news and analysis service tailored to the needs of UK wealth managers, fund selectors and discretionary fund managers. Our proprietary fund and asset allocation data, compiled using…
Episodes
Asset AllocatorHow is the economic cycle affecting portfolios?
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…
Asset AllocatorShould UK gilts do the twist?
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…
- Asset Allocator
What's the case for increasing exposure to the US?
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…
Asset AllocatorThe struggles of measuring MPS performance
Comparing the performance of model portfolio solutions can sometimes be a challenge, given the difference risk levels and approaches across the market. This…
Asset AllocatorDo risk variable portfolios work?
There are many ways to skin a cat, and even more ways to run a model portfolio service. This week Ash Weston, head of MPS at 8AM Global, joined David Thorpe…
- Asset Allocator
Can you diversify away from tariff volatility?
Markets have been in a tetchy state ever since Donald Trump announced he was launching a trade war with the entire planet (or maybe not as it later turned…
Asset AllocatorMarket turmoil reveals the perils of owning US tracker funds
Donald Trump's policy decisions continue to reverberate through markets as he decides whether or not to fire Fed chair Jerome Powell. This week David Thorpe…
Asset AllocatorHow Donald Trump liberated the markets from going up
Earlier this month US president Donald Trump announced a series of 'reciprocal' tariffs on most countries in the world. This had the effect of tanking markets…
Asset AllocatorWhat’s the role for high yield bonds?
Tacit Investment Management has one of the highest exposures to high-yield bonds of all the portfolio managers we cover. This week we are joined by Kypros…
Asset AllocatorCan gold's growth be sustained?
The rising price of gold has been one of the stories of early 2025 so far and Stuart Clark, who runs Quilter's Wealthselect portfolios, is one of the…
Asset AllocatorHas Europe's time come?
The year has started brightly for the European market, with the Euro Stoxx 50 up more than 10 per cent since the start of 2025. But is that a sign Europe has…
Asset AllocatorIs now the time to worry about the US economy?
US president Donald Trump has said there might be "a little disturbance" as he imposes tariffs he claims are necessary. But fears of a recession in the US are…
Asset AllocatorWhat to make of the US stock slide
Since the start of 2025, the S&P 500 is down nearly 5 per cent due in part to Donald Trump's 'will he, won't he' approach to tariffs. This week tariffs were on…
Asset AllocatorMitigating 2024's rise in fund manager moves
Last year saw a spike in the number of fund manager departures, which were at their highest level since Covid. This week David Thorpe, Joseph Wilkins and Dave…
Asset AllocatorAre we at an inflection point for political risk?
For better or worse, Donald Trump's first few weeks in the White House have involved a flurry of activity - which the markets have always appreciating some of…
Asset AllocatorAre equal-weight indices all they’re cracked up to be?
If volatility has made a comeback, are equal-weight indices the solution to this problem? Or do they present different issues? This week David Thorpe, Dave…
Asset AllocatorIs volatility back for good?
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…
Asset AllocatorBenchmarking for success
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…
Asset AllocatorWhat to make of this week's AI rout?
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…
Asset AllocatorWhy Gam has such a large exposure to US equities
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…
Asset AllocatorWhy is RSMR's Stewart Smith such a big fan of Japan?
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…
Asset AllocatorWhich US equity funds outperformed in 2024?
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…
Asset AllocatorWhat does the future have in store for MPS?
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…
Asset AllocatorWhat's the outlook for 2025?
As we approach the end of the year, David Thorpe gathers a group of experts to look forward into 2025 in this bumper edition of the podcast which is supported…
Asset AllocatorIs the US fiscal deficit about to balloon - and does it even matter?
The result of the recent US presidential election has given many of us plenty to ponder. This week Dave Baxter, Joseph Wilkins and David Thorpe get together to…
Asset AllocatorBudget changes to Aim markets was 'not woeful'
Unusually for the folk at City Asset Management, the team made a change to the Aim portfolios ahead of the first Budget by chancellor Rachel Reeves. In this…
Asset AllocatorIs there still value in US equities?
The S&P 500 has risen by 30 per cent over the past 12 months, with no event seemingly able to put a stop to this growth. On this week's podcast David Thorpe…
Asset AllocatorWhat could a Trump presidency mean for portfolios?
This week Joseph Wilkins and Dave Baxter are joined by Stuart Clark, who runs the Quilter Wealthselect portfolios. They discuss what a Trump presidency might…
Asset AllocatorWhat's the outlook for UK equities?
The outlook for the UK economy is a topic that has consumed endless column inches – particularly in the wake of last week's Budget. On this week's podcast…
Asset AllocatorHow Premier Miton's new MPS head runs his portfolios
Chris Robinson joined Premier Miton over the summer to run the company's new MPS. This week he catches up with David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins to discuss this…
Asset AllocatorWhat to make of the China stimulus
The Chinese government's sudden U-turn on fiscal stimulus has got a lot of heads scratching recently - including among those who debate the future prospects of…
Asset AllocatorWill cost disclosure rule changes spur interest in investment trusts?
News that the regulator will be changing cost disclosure rules has been welcomed as a lifeline by the investment trust sector. But will it be the silver bullet…
Asset AllocatorHow will China's stimulus affect the rest of the world?
This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by Chris Metcalfe, chief investment officer at Iboss, to discuss the impact of China's economic stimulus…
Asset AllocatorHow sustainable are sustainable portfolios?
This week Dave Baxter, Joseph Wilkins and David Thorpe discuss the malaise which is affecting the world of sustainable portfolios and what that means for the…
Asset AllocatorWhat really drives returns?
This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by James Saunders, head of portfolio management at Tatton Investment Management. They discuss his…
Asset AllocatorAn emerging opportunity
This week we are joined by Ryan Hughes, investment director at AJ Bell, to discuss whether the recent volatility seen in markets is likely to be a permanent…
Asset AllocatorGoing in cycles
The debate of where we sit in the growth vs value cycle and the cyclical vs defensive cycle is often a hotly contested one. This week Joseph Wilkins and David…
Asset AllocatorAll things being equal
The Asset Allocator Podcast is back from its summer break and this week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by Damian Fantato, acting editor of Asset…
Asset AllocatorWhat's the risk?
As markets take a pause for breath, we have a chat with Alex Funk, who is newly-installed as head of investments at Portfoliometrix. He chats with Joseph…
Asset AllocatorWhat does this week's volatility mean for portfolios?
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, market volatility strikes again. This week Joseph Wilkins and Dave Baxter are joined by Freddy…
Asset AllocatorThe future's bright, the future's managed
Many of the discussions which are held about portfolios at the moment centre around macro questions. This week David Thorpe and Joseph Wilkins are joined by…
Asset AllocatorCan you beat the house?
Some investors might wonder what the point is of trying to outperform the US market when simply buying an S&P 500 tracker has delivered pretty substantial…
Asset AllocatorReasons to be fearful
The recent success of the so-called magnificent seven stocks has caused plenty of pause for thought so far this year. In the latest edition of the Asset…
Asset AllocatorFactor tilts, the AI boom and SDR rules
This week Joseph Wilkins and David Thorpe are joined by Jonathan Griffiths, investment product manager at EBI, to discuss the growing use of factor tilts and…
Asset Allocator'The role of bonds and equities in portfolios has switched'
In this podcast, Asset Allocator chief reporter Joseph Wilkins, contributing editor David Thorpe and Jason Borbora-Sheen talk about the importance of…
Asset AllocatorDon't leave me this way
This year has so far been dominated by two-high profile examples of the rule at play: Ben Whitmore’s forthcoming departure from Jupiter, and Mike Riddell’s…
Asset AllocatorStaying on theme with global equities
Many investors focus on the ups and downs of particular countries and regions, but in a globalised world themes are becoming an increasingly important factor…
Asset AllocatorOn the money market
One of the challenges faced by investment managers lately has been the relative attractiveness of money market funds, given the current macro environment. This…
Asset AllocatorThe challenge of building portfolios for retirement
One of the long-running trends in the world of portfolio management has been the gradual fall in average allocations to UK equities. In this week's edition of…
Asset AllocatorGood alpha is so hard to find
The pros and cons of paying an active manager to hunt down outperformance are often hotly debated, and this week we join in. In the latest edition of the Asset…
Asset AllocatorHow the high yield bond market is changing
Bonds have been a very eventful place to be over the past 12 months or so and on this week's podcast, which is supported by Artemis, we have a chat with David…
Asset AllocatorHow a Swedish wealth manager tailored its MPS to UK investors
One of the latest entrants to the portfolio management market in the UK has been Soderberg & Partners, the Swedish wealth manager which has already bought up…
Asset AllocatorIs inflation's stickiness something to worry about?
This week we catch up with Ben Seager-Scott, the newly-installed chief investment officer at Mazars. In this week's edition of the podcast, which is supported…
Asset AllocatorHas a new spring sprung for equities?
On this week's podcast Dave Baxter, funds editor on the Investors Chronicle, and David Thorpe, contributing editor on Asset Allocator, discuss why DFMs are…
Asset AllocatorWill UK equities continue to be this cheap?
UK equity funds have suffered their fair share of outflows in recent years - though the FTSE 100 recently hit an all time high and many describe UK equities as…
Asset AllocatorPriced for perfection?
This week Shanti Kelemen, chief investment officer at M&G Wealth, joins Joseph Wilkins and David Thorpe to discuss US equities and the extent to which she's…
Asset AllocatorBill Dinning sees an opportunity in real assets
A lot of the talk relating to changes in monetary policy rotate around their effect on bonds and equities, but this week we have a chat with Bill Dinning…
Asset AllocatorHow much of a bargain is the UK?
For some time the UK has been described as a bargain, but average exposures to the home market in the Asset Allocator database have not budged. In this week's…
Asset AllocatorFund management's got talent
This week Asset Allocator acting editor Damian Fantato has a chat with funds correspondent Joseph Wilkins and contributing editor David Thorpe about Tam Asset…
Asset AllocatorWhy emerging markets are no longer the factories of the world
Investing in emerging markets was once seen as a commodity play but on this week's podcast, which is supported by Artemis, we have a chat with Raheel Altaf…