The evolving state of the buy side

A Bloomberg Special Report

Investment managers have always had to contend with a complex mix of messy, dynamic factors that impact portfolios, but the present selection seems uniquely combustible and difficult to predict. In addition to the age-old concerns of economic...

Contents

1. MiFID II’s potential impact on U.S. firms
2. Trump’s impact on financial policy
3. Geopolitics: What’s the world coming to?
4. Quant strategies and the future of trading
5. The implications of machine learning in finance
6. The future of active management
7. The future of active management: Part II
8. The growing role of ESG investing in portfolio management
9. Thank you for reading The evolving state of the buy side

Adapting to a new normal

Investment managers have always had to contend with a complex mix of messy, dynamic factors that impact portfolios, but the present selection seems uniquely combustible and difficult to predict. In addition to the age-old concerns of economic cycles, interest rates, and fiscal policies, managers today are also contending with a host of new considerations and concerns.

Global political uncertainty, regulation and tax-reform are just a few factors unsettling the market, at least for the short term.  Additionally, the active vs. passive debate is upending the industry, as investors pulled more than $380 billion from actively managed mutual funds while pouring almost $480 billion in passive investments in 2016.

As part of Bloomberg’s inaugural Buy-side Week 2017 New York, industry leaders and experts from across asset classes and geographies gathered to weigh in on some of these more pressing issues and contemplate how asset managers today must adjust to the new normal.