Fundamentals: The Investment Research Podcast

What impact has the Covid-19 pandemic had on climate policies, companies' approach to environmental issues, and the market for green securities? Editor in Chief Richard Edgar talks to three of Fidelity International's climate investment specialists to understand what's in store for this expanding market: portfolio managers Velislava Dimitrova and Kris Atkinson, and Global Economist Anna Stupnytska.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid-19 crisis has seen a dramatic turnaround for the banking sector. Vilified for the Global Financial Crisis, banks this time have been a key part of the solution acting as essential shock absorbers for economies across the world. But as debts rise, rates fall, and economic growth peters out, what will it mean to be a lender in a crisis? Has the role of banks changed for good? And what could that mean for the proliferating fintech companies - and investors? Richard Edgar hears from the experts: Shanghai-based equities analyst Monica Li, and cross-asset analysts Federico Wynne and Lee Sotos.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A commodity price crash, an extraordinary demand shock, and a mooted 'green' recovery have brought the structural changes facing the energy industry into sharp relief. As societies are forced to think more carefully about how to build resilience against future crises we look at the impact on an industry that underpins every aspect of our lives. Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, talks with equity analysts and portfolio managers Paul Gooden and Tom Robinson, and with fixed income analyst Christine Miyagishima. With additional contributions from European utilities analyst, Boya Zhao-Robinson.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2020 pandemic has opened the eyes of governments to how critical a robust digital infrastructure is to their economies. The time spent online by businesses and consumers for both work and leisure has rocketed - and early indicators show that these changes are structural. There's no going back. To find out how the Covid-19 crisis is changing the companies at the heart of our digital infrastructure Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, is joined by Gita Bal, Global Head of Research for Fixed Income; Sumant Wahi, Portfolio Manager with a focus on connectivity; and Ranjeev Juty, Equity Research Analyst covering streaming services and video gaming.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest survey of almost 150 analysts shows the first signs of dispersion in expectations for sectors. We look at which are likely to do better during the Covid crisis and why. Plus, new ESG-focused questions reveal how social issues are moving up the agenda at almost all companies. Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, talks to Marty Dropkin, Global Head of Research for Fixed Income; Fiona O'Neill, Director of Equities; and George Watson, Survey Editor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Covid-19 lockdown transforms consumer behaviour there is one sector that has had to adapt faster than any other: retail. Shuttered shops have forced companies to either expand their delivery businesses or rapidly develop them. The pivot has affected not just the retailers but their suppliers and even their landlords who are racing to keep up. In this podcast we take a closer look at the changes that these businesses are making; the short-term adaptations as well as those that could prove to be permanent. Joining Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, to discuss what it means for the high street, for shopping centres, and for the owners of those buildings, are Adrian Benedict, Head of Real Estate Solutions; Rebecca Clements, Senior Credit Analyst; and Serhat Birbilen, Equity Research Analyst. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Market volatility has given the research team the perfect opportunity to put Fidelity's sustainability ratings through their paces and ask the question: do good ESG credentials lead to a better performance in a downturn? The results are eye-opening. To explain the research and what it means for sustainable investing at Fidelity and beyond, Editor in Chief Richard Edgar is joined by ESG Analyst Ana-Victoria Quaas, Director of Quantitative Research for Fixed Income Joe Hanmer, and Head of Equities and Global Head of Equities Research Ned Salter.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the most advanced electric car designer and one of the biggest traditional car manufacturers make big pushes this year to bring electric vehicles to the mass market we ask our analysts whether 2020 is the year EVs finally put their foot to the floor. While neither Tesla or Volkswagen have been without their controversies in recent years, both now offer game-changing interventions for the electric car market: Tesla with its finely-honed technology and proof that a company can turn a profit selling these vehicles, and VW with its colossal scale. But significant hurdles remain. So just how big a risk are the companies taking and what could success mean for consumers and investors? Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, talks to Oliver Trimingham, Equity Research Analyst, and Lucy Van Amerongen, Credit Analyst. Click here for more episodes from this series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fidelity's Analyst Survey, now in its 10th year, asks over 150 investment analysts to report on what they've learnt from their research and the 15,000 company meetings they've held over the he past year. The information builds a unique forecast of what they expect to see from their companies and sectors in the year ahead. In this podcast, Editor in Chief Richard Edgar draws out some of the key findings from this year’s report with editor of the survey, George Watson, Deputy Head of Research for Equities, Fiona O’Neill, and Global Head of Research for Fixed Income, Marty Dropkin. Enjoy Fidelity Answers? Try our sister show, Rich Pickings: Fidelity's Asset Allocation Podcast.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here for more episodes from this series. Fidelity's investment team has just returned from a research trip to the US West Coast where they met with some of the biggest names in technology. They dug into a range of issues with their hosts including privacy, regulation and competition, as well as the latest innovations and their potential applications. One of the most interesting was 5G, which promises to increase network bandwidth significantly and in the process revolutionise connectivity and consumers' digital experiences. But 5G presents a battleground for supremacy between the US and China. So who will win this high-stakes contest and what else will this disruptive technology do? Richard Edgar, Editor-in-Chief, talks to Sumant Wahi, Portfolio Manager, and Jonathan Tseng, Senior Technology Analyst. With contributions from Tina Tian, Investment Analyst, Ranjeev Juty, Equity Research Analyst, and Amit Lodha, Portfolio Manager.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here for more episodes from this series. The consumer staples sector - big stable companies with reliable cash flows and strong balance sheets - is often referred to as 'defensive' because the stocks perform well in the market even when everything else is falling apart. People can be relied on to always buy food and shampoo. But years of cheap debt have seen some of these companies, many of which face disruptive forces from changing consumer trends, take on leverage to see through big M&A deals, bringing into question the defensive qualities of their businesses. The size of these companies is so large that there is concern that a de-rating of their debt could even up-end the whole market. Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, is joined by two of Fidelity's analysts who have taken a closer look at the issue: Gita Bal, Director of Research and Senior Credit Analyst, and Heidi Rauber, Senior Equity Analyst. We also hear from three portfolio managers - Matt Siddle, Aneta Wynimko, and Kris Atkinson - about why views on what makes a defensive stock are changing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here for more episodes from this series. Orangutans spend most of their lives in the treetops of the jungles of Sumatra and Borneo. But today they're critically endangered, largely because millions of hectares of their habitats are being cleared to make way for palm oil plantations. The palm oil producers are under increasing pressure from consumers, NGOs and investors to lessen their environmental impact. And it's working. From the jungles of Southeast Asia, we move to the steel mills of northern China, where the government is closing the least profitable and most polluting plants in part to reduce the thick toxic smog that can hang over the homes of hundreds of millions of people. So what do these two stories of environment-related pressure mean for the industries in question? Will short-term pain bought on by external pressures lead to long-term gain for the companies - and investors - involved? And what might that mean for other sectors facing similar challenges? In this podcast, Asia Editor Neil Gough talks to Fidelity's Forest Shultz, an equity Investment Analyst who focuses on metals and mining across Asia, and Minlin Lee, a Research Associate who covers equities including Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil producers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here for more episodes from this series. Fundamentals is a new show from Fidelity Answers that taps the brains of our analysts for on-the-ground insights from around the world about the industries and businesses you're investing in. From trends to disruptions, from political upheavals to changing regulation, how are corporates responding to the growing complexity of global business and less predictable markets? Who will be the winners and who the losers? -> Advances in material technology are paving the way for a smartphone revolution and it looks as though China will be the one leading the way. In fact China, long regarded as a copycat and laggard in the tech sector, is set to become a world leader not just in smartphones but a whole host of other related industries. What could this mean for the way you use your phone? What about the impact on suppliers and other big players in the smartphone sector? And how should investors be thinking about what could be the biggest gear shift in the industry since Apple launched the iPhone? In this podcast, Asia Editor Neil Gough talks to Fidelity's Casey McLean, an equity analyst covering tech hardware, semiconductors and the smartphone supply chain across Asia, and Peter Carter, an equity analyst with a focus on tech hardware and industrial automation in China.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click here for more episodes from this series. Fundamentals is a new show from Fidelity Answers that taps the brains of our analysts for on-the-ground insights from around the world about the industries and businesses you're investing in. From trends to disruptions, from political upheavals to changing regulation, how are corporates responding to the growing complexity of global business and less predictable markets? Who will be the winners and who the losers? -> Shipping is the lifeblood of the global economy but it's also one of the world's worst polluters. Of the entire global transport sector, shipping accounts for 90 per cent of its sulphur dioxide emissions, a gas with grave environmental impacts: deforestation, acidic rivers, and poisoned wildlife. In an effort to tackle the problem the UN's International Maritime Organisation plans to introduce new caps to further restrict the amount of sulphur dioxide generated by commercial shipping. The regulatory impact is likely to be immense and not just for the sector - manufacturers, retailers, consumers, even fuel prices themselves. In this podcast, Editor in Chief Richard Edgar talks to two of Fidelity's senior analysts about the forthcoming law: shipping credit analyst Jonathan Neve, and North America energy equity analyst Paul Gooden.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fidelity's 165 analysts have conducted some 16,000 meetings with corporate management teams across all sectors and regions in the past year. Our annual Analyst Survey distils all of that information to build a forward-looking, bottom-up picture of the corporate world in 2019. In this podcast, Richard Edgar, Editor in Chief, picks apart what's been learned from this year's survey with Fidelity's Global Head of Research for Fixed Income, Marty Dropkin, and Director of Research for Equity, Michael Sayers. Things may not be as sunny as last year but as you can hear in this show, context is everything. Plus, there are still some reasons for confidence in the year ahead. Listen on to find out more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.