NN Investment Partners (NN IP) has signed the financial sector commitment letter on eliminating commodity-driven deforestation. The letter commits us to making best efforts to eliminate forest-risk agricultural commodity-driven deforestation activities at the companies in our investment portfolios and in our financing activities by 2025...

Gyrations in U.S. rates were highly challenging to navigate. Bond volatility surged in October as the Fed prepared to withdraw monetary accommodation and as investors struggled to assess the medium-term path of inflation.

L/S Equity managers have decently navigated these markets, generating small positive alpha (especially on their short positions) but their implicit stance is diverging across regions. U.S. managers detracted only marginal alpha. They maintained their modest overall exposures throughout September and further reduced them early October, keeping limited factor tilts.

Trading conditions in China have severely deteriorated. After reaching their peak by mid-February, stocks lost earlier gains in March, on evidence of a plateauing economy and as stretched investors' positioning unwounded. Chinese markets were then stuck in a volatile trading range until the summer when they suffered another -15% plunge.

For an investor, investing in growth stocks can be a particularly wise choice over the long term. But it can also be a useful tactic within a portfolio diversification strategy, particularly if the companies adhere to certain ethical criteria. This responsible investment dimension gives fund managers and investors the opportunity to review their approach and analyse recent innovations...