18 Nov 2024 3 min read

Video: Key long-term themes for bond markets and the impact on today’s portfolios

By Ben Bennett , Matthew Rees

Disruptive technologies are accelerating while companies face deglobalisation and high bond yields. Investors need to think long term in be able to manage the short term.

Long-term drivers of bond markets are accelerating, and investors need to act now. In this second part of a three-part series, Mat Rees, Head of Global Bond Strategies, joins Ben Bennett, Head of Investment Strategy Asia, to discuss the big themes set to disrupt markets in the coming years. Several factors point to structurally higher inflation and bond yields, but these may be partially offset by productivity-enhancing AI and China’s economic transition. Meanwhile, decarbonisation is likely to remain a key driver for corporate health in the coming years. Companies will need to adapt in order to thrive, and many will fall by the wayside. Avoiding the losers is just as important as picking the winners for bond investors.

Key risks

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Ben Bennett

Head of Investment Strategy, Asia

Ben joined LGIM’s London team in 2008, initially focusing on credit strategy before taking on the role of Head of Investment Strategy and Research, coordinating LGIM’s research from long-term themes to short term market drivers. He also chaired the monthly investment macro meeting for many years, a key input for portfolio risk across the active strategies. He relocated to Hong Kong in 2020, joining the LGIM Asia Board as a Director and was appointed Head of Investment Strategy, Asia, to help grow LGIM’s investment business across the APAC region. Ben started his career in 1999 as a credit strategist at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson in London, before performing the same role at both BNP Paribas and Lehman Brothers. Ben holds an MA in Mathematics from Queens' College, Cambridge University.

Ben Bennett

Matthew Rees

Head of Global Bond Strategies

Matthew is head of the global bond strategies team, responsible for a team focused on a range of benchmarked and absolute return strategies. When he’s not plugged into his Bloomberg screen, he can often be found on a hockey pitch where he (just about) still runs around playing as well as coaching a number of junior hockey teams. This is a role he believes has prepared him more for tumultuous markets and adults than his 25 years of experience since qualifying as a chartered accountant in the mid 1990s.

Matthew Rees