The Evelyn Partners Megatrends Podcast: the themes shaping the global economy

In this introductory episode, Cherry Reynard and Rob Clarry discuss megatrends, those powerful, disruptive forces that shape economies, businesses, and societies. These long-term themes help drive innovation, steer investment, and create new ideas. They are a vital part of Evelyn Partners’ investment decision-making, highlighting opportunities and exposing risks. The- podcast looks at what they are, and why they are important for investors.

From Japan in the 1980s, to TMT in the 1990s to the rise of China over the past two decades, history suggests that financial markets are often dominated by powerful structural themes. Identifying and analysing these themes is an important tool to uncover investment opportunities and steer a portfolio away from risks.

These ‘megatrends’ form an important part of investment decision-making at Evelyn Partners. Our research has identified four structural themes driving markets today: shifting demographics, the changing world order, a bumpy energy transition and the technological revolution. They will help shape the winners and losers in investment markets over the next decade or more.

These themes inform individual stock selection, picking equities that benefit from the tailwinds created by the megatrends, while avoiding those facing headwinds. They also help shape strategic asset allocation by influencing the expected returns from specific asset classes. In the Megatrends podcast, we discuss these themes in more detail.