Key Highlights
- Trends to watch: climate change, automation and digitalisation
- Asia displays positive signs around several key developing megatrends
- Strong understanding of key trends and investment objectives will aid the construction of investment portfolios
The final instalment of the ‘Ride the markets with us in 2021’ webinar series titled Welcome to Tomorrow: Innovations and Megatrends was hosted by Dharmo Soejanto, Head of Investment Partnerships & Solutions, UOB Asset Management (UOBAM).
Dharmo noted that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated many of the megatrends expected to unfold progressively over the next few years but has been fast forwarded to today and opened to the panel on how this would impact today’s investment landscape.
The guest speakers were Mr Andrew Sharp-Paul, Managing Director and Investment Director of Wellington Management and Mr Steef Bergakker, Senior Portfolio Manager at Robeco who shared their views on climate change, automation and digitalisation particularly within the financial and automotive industries.
Diving into Asian megatrends, it was pointed out that several factors are in Asia’s favour: its demographics, central role as both the world’s manufacturing and technological innovation hub. The key Asian industries to look out for include: automation and artificial intelligence (AI), e-commerce, fintech and the semiconductor sector in Taiwan and South Korea.
When positioning one’s portfolio, they also noted that it is critical for investors to first understand their risk tolerance and investment horizon. Investors should also pay attention to the size of particular sectors and know their growth potential and risks before considering how to diversify across less correlated trends and sub-themes.
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