The war on bugs

Following our participation at COP16, the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, we reflect on the key themes that emerged, outstanding challenges, and what this all means for investors.

Our new series shares insights from our sector hub discussions to delve into the trends shaping global equity markets. In the first instalment, Harsharan Mann, consumer sector hub lead, explains what investors should look out for in the sector.

Aviva Investors fund managers Edward Hutchings, Liam Spillane and Max Burns offer their initial thoughts on what the US election means for financial markets.

Volatility returned to markets in the third quarter of the year. While the short-term drivers are not unduly worrying, Sunil Krishnan argues multi-asset investors will need to be watchful over the medium term.

In this article, we look at four megatrends that are likely to transform companies and markets over the coming years, and how they might create opportunities for equity investors.

Large tech firms such as Meta have announced they will pay dividends for the first time in 2024, illustrating the opportunities equity income investors can find beyond “traditional” dividend-paying stocks.

We explore how creating “clubs” can bolster network effects, enhance firms’ resilience and make them attractive to investors.

Soaring technology share prices have driven US stock market concentration to unprecedented levels and pushed the US market to a record premium relative to other markets. While both trends could persist, investors need to be aware of the implications, argues Joao Toniato.

Pest control has become a growing priority for city residents and authorities all year round, as rising temperatures and other factors boost the populations of many pest species. But in creating adaptation solutions, the sector could also represent a long-term investment opportunity.

Investors rely on benchmarks for data – but benchmarks can also represent investment opportunities in themselves. So how can we identify companies whose benchmarks are likely to have staying power?

Our investment teams explain why buoyant US consumer spending will have to weaken eventually. That could pose problems for debt-laden consumer-facing companies.

The managers of the AIMS Target Return strategy explain why the prospects for a range of asset classes suddenly look much brighter.