Critical thinking

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.
As 2022 comes to a close, insurance companies are facing significant price losses across their portfolios, particularly within long-duration fixed income. On the horizon are the risks of a global recession, peaking fundamentals, persistent inflation and energy crises, particularly in Europe.

We recently surveyed the insurance market globally to find out what their key concerns, challenges and opportunities are within their investment portfolios and how they plan to tackle these. With these findings in mind we have produced what we believe should be the top considerations for insurers in 2023.

To discuss the findings and the considerations, Colin Tipping, Global Head of Insurance Solutions is joined by Eryn Bacewich from the US team and William Gibbons from the UK/Europe team.

Read the full paper and survey findings here: https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/wealth/insurer-investment-considerations.html
This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and should not be relied upon for this purpose. The materials are not tailored to your particular personal and/or financial position. If you require advice based on your specific circumstances, you should contact a professional adviser.
This does not constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities, commodities and/or any other financial instruments or products or constitute a solicitation on behalf of any of the investment managers, their affiliates. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not formal investment advice to allow any party to transact. Additional advice will be required in advance of entering into any contract.

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We recorded this episode as a part of a podcast series on the occasion of COP27. Each episode illustrates the breadth and depth of Marsh McLennan’s climate capabilities. The issues addressed throughout the series include investment transition, the insurance sector’s role in climate adaption, communities and businesses’ exposure to physical risks, and how companies need to address the inextricable link between climate and nature.
Find more information about how Mercer, Marsh and other Marsh McLennan businesses will be addressing these issues at COP27 and beyond, visit https://www.marshmclennan.com/pages/climate-hub.html
Max Messervy Head of Sustainable Investment, Americas is joined by Rich Nuzum, Executive Director, Investments, Global Chief Investment Strategist and Cara Williams, Global Head of ESG and Sustainability, Wealth Management and Multinational Client Lead for Wealth to reflect on what inspired them most at COP27. They also share the key themes that emerged while in Egypt and the lessons that institutional investors should take away following the outcomes at COP27.

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.
This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and should not be relied upon for this purpose. The materials are not tailored to your particular personal and/or financial position. If you require advice based on your specific circumstances, you should contact a professional adviser.
This does not constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities, commodities and/or any other financial instruments or products or constitute a solicitation on behalf of any of the investment managers, their affiliates. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not formal investment advice to allow any party to transact. Additional advice will be required in advance of entering into any contract.

Read our full important notices - click here

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.

The level of portfolio protection from high-quality debt instruments that generations of investors have relied with the 60/40 portfolio has been challenged. Investors need more tools in the toolkit. Gold and some currencies can protect well, but are subject to idiosyncratic risks and are noncontractual; their protective capacities are essentially market conventions or rules of thumb.

Given the need to manage a range of exposures dynamically, we ask is there is a role for hedge fund strategies, which may be better equipped at managing through a transitionary period.

In this episode, Deborah Wardle is joined by Dave McMillan and Dr Sushil Wadhwani, Chief Investment Officer at PGIM Wadhwani to discuss some of the key questions surrounding the current hedge fund investing landscape and in doing so, look to answer the question of whether hedge funds are staging a comeback.
This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and should not be relied upon for this purpose. The materials are not tailored to your particular personal and/or financial position. If you require advice based on your specific circumstances, you should contact a professional adviser.
Read our full important notices - click here

Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.

Inflationary pressures that began bubbling during the Covid crisis have come to a head, and central banks are fighting it by engineering an economic slowdown. Risks remain high in some markets, in others there are grounds for optimism and buying opportunities.

Samantha Davidson, US OCIO Segment Leader is joined by Rupert Watson, Head of Asset Allocation, Europe and Anthony Brown, Director of capital markets, US to discuss the key findings from our 2022 mid-year outlook.
Read the full paper here
This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and should not be relied upon for this purpose. The materials are not tailored to your particular personal and/or financial position. If you require advice based on your specific circumstances, you should contact a professional adviser.
This does not constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities, commodities and/or any other financial instruments or products or constitute a solicitation on behalf of any of the investment managers, their affiliates. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not formal investment advice to allow any party to transact. Additional advice will be required in advance of entering into any contract.

The findings, ratings and/or opinions expressed herein are the intellectual property of Mercer and are subject to change without notice. They are not intended to convey any guarantees as to the future performance of the investment products, asset classes or capital markets discussed. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investment advisory services for Brazil clients are provided by Mercer Human do Brasil (Mercer Brazil), a company regulated by the Brazilian Securities and Exchange Commission to provide Financial Advisory services.

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Opinions expressed are those of the speakers as of the date of publication, are subject to change without notice and do not necessarily reflect Mercer’s opinions.
2022 will certainly be remembered as momentous, and it may take some time to fully understand the ramifications of the events that occurred this year. Any of these events individually would likely have had a profound impact on markets, both public and private. However, in combination, these events, along with other relevant factors, have certainly pulled the rug out from under markets.

Billy Charlton, Global Head of Private Markets Data Analytics and Research is joined by Amarik Ubhi, Global Head of Infrastructure and David Scopelliti, Global Head of Private Debt to discuss how these significant events are affecting various private market segments and what we expect their ramifications to be in 2023.

Read the paper here https://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/wealth/alternative-investment-considerations.html
This content is for institutional investors and information purposes only. It does not contain investment, financial, legal, tax or any other advice and should not be relied upon for this purpose. The materials are not tailored to your particular personal and/or financial position. If you require advice based on your specific circumstances, you should contact a professional adviser.
This does not constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell securities, commodities and/or any other financial instruments or products or constitute a solicitation on behalf of any of the investment managers, their affiliates. For the avoidance of doubt, this is not formal investment advice to allow any party to transact. Additional advice will be required in advance of entering into any contract.

Read our full important notices - click here