Following a two year period of aggressive monetary tightening, we have seen a marked de-rating in valuations across listed real estate whilst fundamentals of occupancy rates, rental and earnings growth have remained resilient. This market dislocation has created opportunity for investors to access structurally growing, modern sustainable real estate at attractive valuations. In our preferred sectors rental growth prospects remain attractive as demand/supply imbalances persist with vacancy rates near all time lows.

Workshop Objectives: Understand the valuation opportunity in structurally growing real estate sectors.
Understand how investing in sustainable real estate can lead to superior risk adjusted returns and avoid value traps driven by environmental legislation.

Company Profile: The Foresight Capital Management ("FCM") team and their investment approach were established in 2017 to facilitate retail and institutional investors accessing real assets and sustainable investment opportunities through actively managed open-ended funds investing in listed securities. We are a sustainability focused asset manager applying private market expertise to opportunities in listed markets, currently managing FP Foresight Sustainable Future Themes Fund, FP Foresight Infrastructure Income Fund, FP Global Real Infrastructure Fund, FP Sustainable Real Estate Fund and Foresight SICAV.

Although painful for bond holders, the move from low yields to high yields last year has made the search for income a more exciting prospect now. In this session, we seek to answer where next for fixed interest opportunities, specifically through the lens of high yield, and why we think the investment trust structure is supportive for managing bonds.

Workshop Objectives: 

• Understand the opportunities and risks of investing in the high yield bond market including:
  • Idea generation and current opportunities
  • Market dynamics (issuance and defaults)
• Investing in high yield through an investment trust and the risks and benefits the investment vehicle offers

Company Profile: Over the years, Invesco has grown to become one of the largest investment managers in the UK, currently managing over $1.5 trillion* in assets.
Key to our success has been a relentless commitment to investment excellence. With clients sitting at the heart of the business, our capabilities have expanded to encompass a variety of investment styles, asset classes, geographies and products to meet a wide range of investment goals and the changing needs of investors.
We have significant depth in resources, with more than 8,000 investment professional employees worldwide all focused on delivering the best outcomes for our clients.
*Source: Invesco, as at 30 June 2023

The size of the market for Corporate Hybrid Bonds has grown from close to zero in 2012 to over 200 billion dollars – equivalent - today. The issuers are mainly very high quality, ‘household name’ non-financial companies – such as SSE and National Grid – and the structure is relatively investor-friendly. Furthermore, Corporate Hybrid bonds are becoming an increasingly significant part of the major Investment Grade bond indices. Yet, many investors have little understanding of these bonds’ characteristics and often mistake them for ‘Coco’s’. This session will look to explain what corporate hybrid bonds are, why they are currently attractive and discuss how they can enhance the risk-adjusted returns of a fixed income portfolio.

Workshop Obejctive: Understand what Corporate Hybrid bonds are, why they are attractive and how they fit into a fixed income portfolio.

Company Profile: The Nomura Asset Management Group is a leading global investment manager. Headquartered in Tokyo, Nomura has additional investment offices throughout the world including London, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei, Frankfurt and New York. With a global workforce of nearly 1.379 employees it has been operating in Europe for more than 30 years. Today Nomura Asset Management provides its clients with a wide range of innovative investment strategies including global, regional and single country equities, high yield bonds and global fixed income strategies.

The 'magnificent 7,' constituting nearly 25% of the S&P 500, have been the primary forces behind its YTD performance, an allocation that might unsettle investors, especially given that this level of concentration could leave your portfolio vulnerable to one particular sector. In this landscape, our strategy, inspired by Warren Buffett’s strategy, shines. We leverage Morningstar's equity research across 1500 companies, pinpointing those with 'Wide Moats,' firms expected to maintain formidable competitive advantages for 20 years, ensuring they remain robust against competitors, all while trading at prices that offer attractive value. This methodology isn't just theoretical; our index has bested the S&P 500 by 410% in GBP and 270% in USD since 2007. If performance persists, our US index will have triumphed over the S&P 500 in 10/16 years, offering a reliable avenue for equity investment in a market rife with uncertainties.

Workshop Objectives: Investors will gain insight into Morningstar's equity research, identifying Wide Moat firms, Fair-Value assessments, index performance highlights, and why our suite of Wide Moat philosophy ETFs belongs in core portfolios.

Company Profile: Established in 1955, VanEck is a global ETF and fund provider with nearly $80 billion in AUM. Our global presence extends from the US to Asia, Australia, and across Europe, positioning us as a top 10 ETF provider in the US.
At the core of our operations is a commitment to provide investors with forward-looking opportunities that strengthen their portfolios. We are renowned for pioneering ventures such as Gold Mining funds, Esports, Semiconductors, Rare Earths, MOATS and the intriguing Fallen Angels sector. As early entrants in US asset management, we've embraced international markets and realized the transformative potential of diverse investments.
Today, our portfolio encompasses both core investment strategies and specialized exposures, offering our clients a comprehensive toolkit for diversification. VanEck stands as a beacon of financial innovation in the UK and beyond, assisting investors in navigating the ever-evolving landscape of global finance.

After a difficult 2022, equity markets have been doing quite well this year. Looking under the hood, though, this rally has been very narrow with buoyant (and expensive) Megacap tech stocks creating most of the performance. In the US, the Federal Reserve looks to be reaching the end of the most aggressive rate hike cycle in history. However, their current motto seems to be “higher for longer”. All said uncertainty and volatility are not bowing out. While the biggest part of the market could still have some way to go, it does not look like a hike in the park.

Benjamin Franklin once said, "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten". Nowhere is this truer than in the realm of investing.  If history is any guide, Dividend-growing, High-Quality stocks have weathered complicated markets very well before can could continue to do so going forward thanks to their “all-weatherness”:
o    High-quality companies are known for their historical stability and resilience, helping build wealth over the long term whilst being defensive during economic downturns. 
o    High-Quality companies have outperformed in the long term 
o    Quality acts defensively thanks to investors’ tendency to “fly to Quality” in uncertain times
o    Well-chosen profitable companies can provide dividend return and dividend growth 

Discuss the medium term equity outlook. Learn about specific characteristics of high quality, dividend growing companies.

Company Profile: WisdomTree was founded in 2006 with a passion for creating better ways to invest, being the first investment manager to weight by dividends. Since 2014, our European business has grown in terms of product set and AUM. In April 2018, we completed the acquisition of ETF Securities' exchange-traded commodities, currencies and short-and-leveraged business, including the world’s first gold ETP. Today we are the biggest independent ETP provider globally and offer one of the most innovative ranges of ETPs, covering commodities, FX, equities, fixed income, cryptocurrency and liquid alternatives.

• The dispersion of equity factors has reached new heights, creating investment opportunities for investors.
• Given the uncertain macroeconomic trajectory, a quality and value barbell allocation may be an appropriate strategy for investors seeking to balance the risks of inflation, current valuations and increasingly concentrated indices.
• Factor investing offers a granular approach to investing that can help reduce risk and enhance returns. However, the principles of this approach can be applied to portfolio construction more broadly.

Company Profile: Xtrackers ETFs by DWS is one of the world’s most established ETF providers with a worldwide footprint and over €150 billion in assets under management in Europe alone (as at August 9th, 2023)1. We have an index tracking record going back over 20 years and offer over 190 ETFs on various asset classes, including equity, fixed income, money market, currencies and commodities. Xtrackers has an established range of Core products providing efficient exposure to major equity and bond indices, as well as a growing range of Thematic and ESG (environmental, social and governance) focused funds.

ETFs by Xtrackers are listed on a number of stock exchanges across Europe, Asia, and in the US, and are supported by a range of market makers.