Investival 2020

Investival 2020

AJ Bell’s annual investment conference delivered directly from some of the UK’s leading fund managers. Investival is AJ Bell’s flagship event, addressing market conditions, potential outlooks in a multitude of sectors and the latest fund manager insight. A sell-out event, year after year.

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Due to the COVID-19 controls in place across the UK, AJ Bell's Investival 2020 featured as two online webinars broadcast over two days. 

Recordings are available on the AJ Bell Investcentre Infocentre at www.investcentre.co.uk/support/infocentre 

You can register for Investival 2021 using the registration link below. 

 

About the day

Online event
United Kingdom

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Welcome to Investival 2020
Rebecca Charlton
Investival
Host

Please welcome our new host for Investival 2020 – Rebecca Charlton. Rebecca will keep proceedings running smoothly as she introduces our speakers and grills each fund manager in a Q&A session following their presentation.

About Rebecca

AJ Bell business update
Andy Bell
Chief Executive Officer
AJ Bell

In his session, Andy will provide a business update on AJ Bell, including a look at the various new developments and improvements that we have made on AJ Bell Investcentre during the past 12 months. His talk will also include details of how the company reacted to the many challenges thrown up by the COVID-19 crisis and the appreciation and feedback received from advisers.

About Andy

An informed view on UK large caps
Richard Buxton
Head of Strategy, UK Alpha
Jupiter Asset Management

The UK economy has rebounded from the COVID-related contraction earlier in the year, yet the recovery remains bumpy, with consumer activity strong, unemployment likely to rise and unprecedented levels of fiscal and monetary stimulus. UK large-cap investors must also consider the disparity in growth vs value stocks, the outlook for dividends and the Brexit end game. Richard Buxton – Head of UK Alpha Strategy at Jupiter Asset Management and an experienced, long-term investor in UK plc – shares his insights.

About Richard

Is now the time to focus on global small caps?
Robin Geffen
Head of Liontrust Global Equity
Liontrust

The growth of mega tech companies has led the US and global stock markets this year. And while small caps have outperformed over the long term, in 2020 they have continued their underperformance of the past three years. The question facing investors is how much of an allocation do they continue to make to these mega caps – is now the time to also focus on global small caps and trying to find the next FAANG? Can investors discover the 2020 equivalent of Amazon in 2000, when one of its shares was worth $2 or less? In this presentation, Robin Geffen will discuss why global small companies; why now; how to find the mega tech companies of the future; and how to hold them through funds as they grow to become mid and large caps.

About Robin

Global income and the case for investment trusts
James Harries
Senior Fund Manager
Troy Asset Management

James Harries – Senior Fund Manager responsible for Troy’s Global Income Strategy, who has managed global equity portfolios since 2002 – shares his approach to investing for global income and puts forward his case around the advantages of the investment trust structure.

About James

Busting the myths of fixed income
Sajiv Vaid
Portfolio Manager
Fidelity International

As yields reach new record lows, some investors have started to question the role of bonds, citing several ‘myths’ when doing so. Namely that negative yields mean negative returns, that rates can only go up from here, that fiscal and monetary policy will result in inflation and that bonds offer little diversification anymore. Fidelity Portfolio Manager Sajiv Vaid tackles each of these myths head on and concludes that, not only does fixed income have an important role to play for investors, but also investment-grade corporate bonds, in particular, offer attractive prospects for income-seeking investors heading into 2021 and beyond.

About Sajiv

How artificial intelligence is replacing human decision-making
Ben Rogoff
Fund Manager
Polar Capital

Today, Polar Capital Fund Manager – and 1980s computer collector – Ben Rogoff discusses what he thinks of the current technology hype cycle and the developments that will impact how we will all be living, working and socialising in the future. Ben will give his thoughts on how artificial intelligence (AI) is helping to develop machine learning through the extraction, manipulation and interpretation of data to currently augment, and ultimately replace, human decision-making, against a backdrop of change within the technology world itself. He will investigate the disruption technology brings across multiple industries, alongside the external influences of regulatory pressures, political change and the US/China relationship.

About Ben

Why UK equities are in need of a vaccine
Richard Colwell
Head of UK Equities and Portfolio Manager
Columbia Threadneedle

UK equities are currently the land that time forgot, but with some of the best opportunities in distressed shares in a decade, Richard Colwell – Head of UK Equities at Columbia Threadneedle Investments – discusses why he believes UK equities are in need of a vaccine.

About Richard

Does ESG have a place in bond portfolios?
Paul Syms
CFA Head of EMEA ETF Fixed Income Product Management
Invesco

One of the clearest and most persistent themes of the past two years has been the increase in demand for ESG investments, which has continued during rising and falling market conditions. While most of the flows have thus far been into equities, past experience suggests this could be about to change. Paul Syms, Head of EMEA ETF Fixed Income Product Management at Invesco, will explore what’s driving the demand and why ESG has only now started to appear in fixed-income ETFs. Paul will look at the impact on a corporate bond fund’s risk and performance when its index applies ESG filters.

About Paul

Impact investing – now is the time
Ben Constable-Maxwell
Head of Sustainable and Impact Investing
M&G

Financial returns at any cost are no longer an option for many individual investors. A broad cross section of the investing public has a desire to produce both competitive financial returns and generate positive outcomes for society and the environment. M&G strongly believes that this is possible, and furthermore suggests that where one places their capital is more impactful on the environment and social causes than the small incremental changes we can all make individually. Money talks.

About Ben

The Outlook to 2020
Russ Mould
Investment Director
AJ Bell

In his talk, AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould will look at the potential economic outlook and provide his take on what’s in store for markets and client portfolios in the coming year and beyond.

About Russ

Plus ça change
Kevin Doran
Chief Investment Officer
AJ Bell

Using tales of the past, Kevin will take a look at today’s world through a historical lens and show why the French maxim remains as valid today as it ever was.

About Kevin

Get in touch

Got a question or want to provide feedback? Contact our events team below

Kirsty Zollinger
Kirsty Zollinger
Events Manager
Email Kirsty
Anya Gorton
Anya Gorton
Events Executive
Email Anya

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