Jason Bradbury: 30 Days of AI

Jason is going to tell you all about his ‘30 Days of AI’, where he entrusted his every daily decision to artificial intelligence - for an entire month. In this fascinating experiment, he explores the potential benefits and risks of the machine learning revolution that is poised to affect how all of us live and work.

Through the examination of this thought-provoking experience, Jason illuminates the intriguing results of everything from mundane tasks - meal planning and workouts - to ambitious pursuits like creating a profitable side business or achieving financial independence – all seen through the prism of deep learning and Artificial Intelligence services.

Jason has been a student of AI for the last fifteen years. He’s interviewed AI researchers in Japan and Silicon Valley and at IBM’s New England campus, with a particular interest in the use of machine learning and robotics – including helping to create and train a robot to perform live stand-up comedy.

Drawing from his experience as a leading tech authority and his personal journey to balance work and life, Jason will offer insightful perspectives on the future of technology, its implications for leadership and business strategy along with the ethical and philosophical implications of the new age of AI.

DoubleLine – Maximizing your IG exposure through offering a higher yield per unit of duration

With 100+ professionals looking at this asset class, DoubleLine have constructed a flexible portfolio to maximise your IG exposure. The strategy is both defensive but also has the ability to invest across a broader range of fixed income sectors than most – improving the potential reward for the risk taken. Many players within this space tend to have larger exposures to corporate credit, whilst DoubleLine strive to be different and specialise in many other fixed income sectors (mortgages, ABS, Loans, EMD), resulting in a more genuinely diversified exposure and alpha opportunities.

The Intersection of Value Investing and Sustainability

Large swathes of the value sector have often been overlooked by sustainable investors as exclusionary strategies have typically been the ESG tool of choice. However, modern investors are demanding both a more nuanced approach, and solutions which can help mitigate the quality growth tilt within portfolios. Brown Advisory will discuss how they have approached building a US Sustainable Value strategy which utilises sustainable research to add informational advantage and drive performance, as well positive ESG outcomes. They will also consider how robust engagement can be beneficial to a company’s ESG trajectory – and help solve some of our thorniest sustainability challenges.

The Small Idea: Opportunities in US Small Cap

Bill Hench will discuss how he and his team strive to exploit inefficiencies in the small and micro-cap segment of the US market. He will explain how the team seek to invest in companies with a clearly identified issue and a clear catalyst to return to normalised earnings, an approach successfully employed over multiple decades and cycles.

End of ‘free money’ to bring emerging markets back in vogue

The investment opportunity in emerging markets is very different from developed markets, yet they are assessed in the same way – resulting in underrepresentation in most global portfolios. With thousands of businesses to pick from in diverse and complicated jurisdictions, it takes an astute investor to find the best risk-adjusted long-term opportunities. Which businesses can adapt to change and adversity? How will they grow and what are they likely to earn in 5 or 10 years? Most importantly, at what price should we own them? Coronation Fund Managers is based in an emerging market and uniquely placed to understand the complexities and curveballs and identify a portfolio of the best EM opportunities with courage and conviction.

Investing in environmental opportunities in China

Pictet Asset Management, a pioneer and global leader in thematic investing, will present their newest thematic strategy – Pictet-China Environmental Opportunities. This is the world’s first Article 9 SFDR impact fund that focuses on investing in the environmental themes in China. Yi Du, Senior Investment Manager, will speak about the key rationales and approach to investing with a positive impact in China’s fast-growing, multi-trillion environmental solutions market.

Trade Finance – an attractive client portfolio diversifier

Supply chain strains, geopolitical tensions and a scaling back of bank funding are spurring demand for trade finance. Investors can benefit from the potential for attractive returns and the short duration of the asset class. Join David Newman and Martin Opfermann as they explain what trade finance is, how it works and discuss why it could be an attractive option for investors in the current market.

Asia: a-once-in-a-decade opportunity

How can UK investors unlock the value potential whilst avoiding “value traps” to capture this once-in-a-decade opportunity in Asia? With many negatives reflected in valuations, Asia is cheap absolutely and relatively. Last time Asia was this cheap, fiscal and monetary policy was a lot weaker, yet subsequent market out-performance was dramatic. ASEAN is in the sweet spot: supply chain diversification benefits ASEAN as suppliers of materials, receivers of capex and consumers. Markets such as Korea & Taiwan carry the strong prospects of a semiconductor recovery against low valuations. India feels expensive but is becoming more attractive for its structural growth opportunities. In his presentation, Josh Crabb, Head of Asia Pacific Equities and Portfolio Manager will address how to navigate these investment opportunities.

Selectively embracing risk in emerging markets debt

Headwinds in the emerging market debt arena continue to subside. Still, even though attractive opportunities should become more apparent as monetary policy becomes less restrictive, indiscriminate emerging market exposure is likely to invite frustration against a volatile backdrop. Cathy Hepworth, Head of PGIM Fixed Income's Emerging Markets Debt Team and Portfolio Manager of the PGIM Emerging Market Total Return Bond Fund, will highlight why she believes a flexible, go-anywhere approach is the key to isolating alpha opportunities and avoiding potential pitfalls. Drawing on 37 years of experience, she will share insights from her team’s in-depth research across the emerging market spectrum.