A random talk down Quant Street, Ep. 9/11 – Does risk appetite drive quant choices?

In just a few weeks, Americans head to the polls for the midterms. The result will be felt well beyond Washington. Fiscal policy, regulation and AI policy could all shift, with real implications for investors. What are voters and the polls telling us? And what might be the impact on the global economy and financial markets? Join our latest episode featuring Mike Mullaney, Director of Global Markets Research, at Boston Partners.

The forces shaping the next five years may look very different from those of the recent past. The drive for greater resilience and the rise of AI are reshaping and rewiring supply chains, investment – and work itself. Robeco's annual Expected Returns publication sets out what this so-called 'Great Rewiring' could mean for the world economy, and for major asset classes.

Emerging markets are often viewed through the lens of geopolitics, growth and valuations. But for quantitative investors, another question matters just as much: how do systematic models need to evolve as markets change? In this episode, we explore why the asset class remains structurally under-owned, and how innovation in signals, data and portfolio construction can help navigate a more concentrated, more complex investment landscape.

Investors in EM equities may worry they're doubling up by investing in EM debt. That isn't the case though with EM bonds drawing on sovereign credit cycles and local currency dynamics that move independently from equities. The foundation has never been stronger with emerging market economies having recently navigated geopolitical shocks, inflation, and developed-market turbulence.

Emerging markets are anything but homogeneous: institutions, policy regimes, commodity exposure, governance standards and political risk vary. This dispersion is the opportunity set for true active managers to compound value.