Viewpoints

EMD: Light at the End of the Tunnel

The rollout of the COVID vaccine may be slower across emerging markets, meaning restrictions will likely remain in place for the foreseeable future. But there are bright spots—including in local currencies and companies that have adapted to this ‘new normal’.

The Case for European Real Estate Debt

The supportive pricing fundamentals in the European real estate market, and low leverage relative to previous property cycles, suggest the asset class is well-positioned to withstand the impact of the pandemic.

Insights - 7 min read

Equities

The False Dawn of Big Tech Regulation?

Calls for increased regulation of tech giants have indeed grown—but will they have the desired impact? In our opinion, the focus on "big is bad" is simply ineffective in a digital world.

CLOs: Cautious Optimism

Coming off a tumultuous year, CLOs look well-positioned going forward—particularly if the economy continues to heal and rates move higher.

Short View - 3 min read

High Yield: Strong Tailwinds, But It May be a Bumpy Ride

High yield has a number of supportive tailwinds at its back—from a more manageable default picture and less exposure to potentially rising rates to investors’ continued demand for yield. But uncertainties remain, suggesting a potentially bumpy path to recovery.

IG Credit: Can the Strong Performance Continue?

After a rollercoaster year, IG corporate credit ended on a high note. But all eyes are on the months ahead, and whether we could see a reversal of some of the trends that buoyed the asset class in 2020.

Conversations - 6 min read

How Healthy is Today's Private Credit Market?

Barings’ Jon Bock weighs in on the dynamics shaping private credit today—from deal activity, to leverage metrics, to spread levels—and discusses how investors can access the opportunity.

Three Reasons Loans May Be Poised for Strong Performance

It’s not as simple as ‘when rates rise buy loans; when rates fall buy bonds.’ Indeed, a combination of several factors has set the stage for loans to potentially deliver attractive total returns going forward.

Conversations - 9 min read

2021 Outlook: The Uneven Recovery

The recovery in many ways looks real and durable—but it also looks uneven and, in some cases, quite unpredictable. In this discussion, investment professionals from the public and private markets discuss where they expect to see risks and opportunities in the year ahead.

2021 Outlook: The Uneven Recovery

Listen as Barings' portfolio managers and investment professionals discuss the cyclical and structural trends expected to shape public and private markets in 2021 & beyond.

Podcast - 40 min listen

Equities

Structural Trends Supporting Asian Equities

There are a number of supportive structural trends shaping the opportunity in Asian equities, many of which—perhaps counterintuitively—have been amplified by the pandemic and U.S.-China trade tensions.

Value-Add Beyond the Pandemic

The shock provided by the global pandemic has roiled real estate markets around the world—which means that the quality and location of properties has never been more important.

European Real Estate Research Quarterly

While COVID has negatively impacted the retail and hotel sectors, the logistics and residential sectors have been much less affected. The Barings Real Estate team weighs in on the opportunity set—and why the overall outlook remains positive.

Insights - 8 min read

Equities

Why Tech Bubble Fears are Overdone

The tech sector’s impressive performance and increasing concentration in indexes has led to concerns of expensive valuations—with some fearing that we could be in bubble territory. In our view, such worries are not justified, and we believe tech’s outlook remains healthy.

Insights - 5 min read

Real Estate Debt: Europe’s Developing Opportunity

Barings Real Estate’s Sam Mellor describes the trends underpinning the structural growth of real estate debt in Europe, and compares and contrasts the asset class with other public and private fixed income alternatives.

Podcast - 34 min listen

CLOs: A Bias Toward Quality

CLOs continued their rebound in the third quarter, but the potential for volatility going forward is high. In this environment, there may be benefits to moving up in quality.

Short View - 3 min read

EMD: A Strong Tailwind, But Risks on the Horizon

Segments of the EM debt market have been bright spots in fixed income this year. Will EMs outperform DMs in the months ahead—or are the risks too great? It may come down to country and credit selection.