Earth’s oceans cover over 70% of the planet’s surface, while driving weather, regulating temperature, and serving as a vital source of sustenance, transport, and commerce. In a “blue economy,” a sustainable marine environment serves to advance science and technology in a way that fosters economic opportunities and societal solutions. On this first of a two-part series, we speak with Dr. Peter de Menocal, director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, about the exploitation, preservation, ...
Apr 12, 2023•29 min•Ep. 70
As China reopens and tries to break free of a growth-inhibiting middle-income trap, many are paying close attention. To lend insight into the scenarios that may unfold, what they could mean for our inextricably linked economies, and the potential market opportunities, Tony speaks with Shehzad Qazi, managing director and chief operating officer of China Beige Book, the largest China-based data collection network.
Mar 31, 2023•38 min•Ep. 69
As of this writing, a few financial institutions have imploded as they struggled to contend with rising short-term interest rates and efforts to generate immediate liquidity. In their wake, some companies have seen their stock share prices plunge, while investors are anxious about further potential looming aftershocks in the banking sector and beyond. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth and senior members of his team discuss what this may mean for financial conditions, credit spreads, interest ra...
Mar 21, 2023•37 min•Ep. 68
Investing often relates to how we categorize risk. Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) is a lens we can use to do just that. The bottom line is ESG risks are financial risks, but how do decisions made by companies impact shareholders and investors? To talk about how the ESG lens is used to classify risk bands, Tony was joined by Cyrus Lotfipour, CFA®, Executive Director, ESG Research at MSCI, Inc., who is responsible for the innovation and development of its ESG ratings methodology....
Mar 02, 2023•45 min•Ep. 67
Wildfires, hurricanes, and floods are some of the many perils exacerbated by climate change. High-risk regions face events with multi-billion dollars’ worth of damage. Over the next months, we’ll devote a number of episodes to the financial cost of climate change and how we can move forward in an effort to protect ourselves and our investments. We’re starting off the conversation with Karen Clark, a leading expert in catastrophe modeling. Karen joins Tony to explain how modeling possible catastr...
Feb 15, 2023•38 min•Ep. 66
In many ways, the economy and financial markets bear little resemblance to the world stage that was in place three years ago, when we last updated our long-term capital markets assumptions and strategic asset allocations (SAA) for client portfolios. We invite you to join our first 2023 episode of Capital Considerations , where we explain the rationale for our recently revised assumptions and allocations—and how it may impact your portfolio’s ability to fund your wealth goals.
Feb 01, 2023•34 min•Ep. 65
With inflation at levels not seen in decades, Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth and members of his team examine the determinative catalysts for the 2023 market and economic outlook. Where have all the workers gone? What are the critical tipping points and risks around China’s polices? And how is the transition to green energy linked to rising prices? Hear the answers to those questions, and how they are positioning client portfolios in light of the current realities. Learn more about our 2023 C...
Dec 14, 2022•40 min•Ep. 64
Goodbye to hyper-low interest rats for homebuyers; hello to even higher rents. People are staying put, which means we may not see meaningful change in the housing market next year. What does this mean for the overall inflation picture? Dr. Orphe Divounguy, Senior Economist at Zillow, joins Tony to discuss the housing market from an inflationary standpoint.
Nov 16, 2022•41 min•Ep. 63
As Bitcoin's utility expands, so does its adoption—but where does it stand as an asset class? Does it move in lockstep with risk assets? Can it serve as an inflation hedge? Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth talks with Alyse Killeen, the Founder and Managing Partner of Stillmark, about the growing Bitcoin ecosystem and its fundamental value.
Nov 02, 2022•41 min•Ep. 62
With President Xi Jinping poised to take a third term, we look at the critical geopolitical relationship between the U.S. and China to better understand its potential implications for the world's economic balance and markets. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth speaks with David Dollar, Senior Fellow in the China Center at the Brookings Institution, about the current and future state of China's economy, the reality of the U.S.-China trade war, and the likely impacts of China's negative demographi...
Oct 19, 2022•39 min•Ep. 61
We are not out of the woods yet. We can't even see the edge of the woods. With high inflation, a hawkish Fed, and weak economic data, can a recession be far behind? Wilmington Trust’s Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth recently held an important webinar. He was joined by Chief Economist Luke Tilley and Head of Investment Strategy Meghan Shue. Some of the key issues discussed were persistent inflation, Federal Reserve rate hikes, and the midterm elections.
Sep 29, 2022•39 min•Ep. 60
Our emotions and impulses dictate many of the choices we make. During times of financial volatility, emotions can run hotter until fear and greed take hold, jostling the resolve of even the most confident of investors. To better understand how psychological biases and behaviors can impact our financial decisions, Tony spoke with Dr. Stephen Shu, visiting lecturer on behavioral economics at Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.
Aug 23, 2022•39 min
The metaverse was once a sci-fi dream of an interactive, immersive virtual future world accessed through virtual reality headsets. But the future may be here, as indicated by social media behemoth Facebook Inc.’s name change to Meta. Where does reality intersect with virtual and fantasy possibilities? Will we feel the thrill of concert-going from our living rooms and avatar-led experiences—or will the need for human interaction win out? To explore how the metaverse may reshape our lives, Tony sp...
Jul 27, 2022•35 min
Calendar-wise, we’ve turned the page and the first half of a challenging 2022 is behind us—but inflation is still hovering at historic highs and global growth projections remain depressed. Markets seem uncertain about what the second half of the year may hold and, truth be told, so are Tony and Wilmington Trust’s Chief Economist Luke Tilley. They delve into how history may shed light on the present and—with impending Consumer Price Index readings and Fed rate decisions—how portfolios should be p...
Jul 12, 2022•33 min
Extreme heatwaves, devastating floods, and raging wildfires regularly compete for news headlines. How can we use these frightening and dangerous events as a catalyst for adapting to extreme weather patterns as we continue climate mitigation efforts? What imminent weather events are looming on the horizon and how should we be preparing now for the potential worst-case scenario? Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth sat down with Dr. Daniel Swain, a Climate Scientist at UCLA’s Institute of the Enviro...
Jun 21, 2022•48 min
What’s driving the pedal-to-the-metal increasing popularity of electric vehicles—gas savings, ease of care, climate concerns, or are they just too cool to pass up? Senior Editor of InsideEVs.com and host of the YouTube channel State Of Charge, Tom Moloughney, joined Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth to engineer some straight answers to some complex issues, such as the genesis of electric vehicle innovation, whether U.S. infrastructure is truly ready to charge the ever-expanding electric fleet, ...
May 30, 2022•45 min
Just three months old, the Russia–Ukraine war has resulted in the deaths of thousands and the displacement of millions—in addition to worsening COVID-incepted supply-chain challenges and threatening global reserves of oil, gas, and wheat. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth welcomed to the podcast Dr. Benjamin Jensen, a Senior Fellow for future war, gaming, and strategy in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies to deliberate about the expected tra...
May 24, 2022•46 min
On Thursday, May 12, Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth hosted a webinar, Growth Scare or Recession? with Chief Economist Luke Tilley and Head of Investment Strategy Meghan Shue. The discussion, which focused on the extraordinary volatility in the markets and the likelihood of a recession, also analyzed the current economic and market forces at play including Federal Reserve rate hikes, inflation expectations, and a dicey geopolitical backdrop, as well as the continuing Ukraine conflict and COVI...
May 18, 2022•41 min
With a volatile equity market, inflation at eyewatering highs, and the Fed signaling a fairly aggressive rate hike calendar, income- and yield-thirsty investors are heating up the bond market. How has inflation affected bond yields, and what is the market anticipating moving forward? Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth and Wilmington Trust's Head of Fixed Income Manager Research Tom Pierce address these timely questions.
May 04, 2022•36 min
After COVID took hold in 2020, many of those who could high-tailed it out of the crowded cities where they worked and headed for home offices in the ‘burbs, as office buildings gathered dust. Today, although rents have bounced back from all-time lows and then some, working remotely is still very much with us—as is the virus to an extent. Can cities regain their former luster? Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth looks at the current situation and explores what’s next for our urban centers with Dea...
Apr 20, 2022•28 min
As we entered 2022, even the onset of the omicron variant failed to shake markets’ optimism. With much of the world learning to cope with an endemic COVID-19 and rates set to rise, the stage was set for strong global growth. The last three months, though, have been less rosy than we might have hoped. From the Russia/Ukraine conflict to inflation surprises, investors would be hard-pressed to say they were anticipating this level of macro uncertainty. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth sat down wi...
Apr 04, 2022•35 min
Without a battlefield in the traditional sense on which to retaliate against Ukraine supporters like the U.S. and Europe, Russia may be taking to cyberspace. Cyber attacks can be a tremendously powerful tool in Putin’s arsenal. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth and Mazars Principal and Cybersecurity Practice Leader Paul Truitt, look at the potential risks to our infrastructure and overall digital security.
Mar 28, 2022•45 min
As most of the world shuns Russia and its oil in the wake of the Ukraine invasion, the implications are vast for reduced global supply and skyrocketing gas prices. Will the harsh reality of international energy codependence spur the transition to green and clean? Which solutions like increased drilling and Keystone XL are in—or not in—the pipeline and why? To walk us through this and more, Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth speaks with Tom Seng, director of The University of Tulsa's School of En...
Mar 15, 2022•43 min
Twenty-four hours after Russia invaded Ukraine, Wilmington Trust’s Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth hosted a client webinar, “A Dark Day for Europe.” The World Reacts. Joined by Chief Economist Luke Tilley, Head of Investment Strategy Meghan Shue, and Senior Portfolio Manager Mark Horst, the team set out the critical issues at stake in this ever-fluid situation. Listen to learn what is expected for economies, inflation, and portfolios.
Mar 07, 2022•43 min
It was hardly a coincidence that Russia’s President Putin waited until after the Beijing Olympics to invade Ukraine—a move that was clearly a courtesy to China’s President Xi Jinping. Under his leadership, the Chinese Communist Party exerts nearly unfettered control and instant ability to implement, leaving markets to simultaneously understand what’s happened and anticipate what’s next. What do investors need to know? Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth is joined by Chinese domestic and foreign p...
Feb 28, 2022•43 min
“Global resource disorder.” It’s a term the team coined to convey the severe labor market shortage which—more than any other economic factor—has brought about a massive breakdown in the normally well-oiled global supply chain. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth and Head of Investment Strategy Meghan Shue explore how companies are pivoting in the face of these challenges by deploying a broad spectrum of technological solutions, and how we are managing client portfolios in light of our expectation...
Dec 13, 2021•30 min
The health crisis of the past two years has resulted in acute dislocations among key pockets of the economy, leading to a cycle that is unprecedented. We face inflation that’s at its highest in nearly four decades and the tightest-ever labor market. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth and Chief Economist Luke Tilley discuss the disconnects within the economy, the anticipated trajectory for inflation, and much more.
Dec 13, 2021•33 min
Employees and job-seekers are very much in the driver’s seat in today’s high-demand low-supply labor market—a severe issue punctuated by the November jobs report. And the labor participation rate remains a critical factor in trying to dimension the long-term trajectory of markets and inflation. What will it take to get people back to work? How is business innovating to attract talent and leveraging technology to close labor gaps? Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth discusses the widespread impact...
Dec 04, 2021•36 min
Blockchain, the brains behind cryptocurrencies, is a concept that once seemed like the stuff of science fiction. But there is much more that blockchain can do beyond supporting digital currency. It is the building block (pun intended) of programmable ledgers that will define the way forward for complex digital financial transactions. CIO Tony Roth explores blockchain’s vast potential with Paul Brody, EY Global Blockchain Leader.
Oct 31, 2021•37 min
When the Colonial Pipeline was hacked last spring, it forced the company’s only complete operational shutdown in 57 years, ceasing its normal daily transport of 2.5 million barrels of fuel for five days. This is just one instance of widespread cybercrime in the past 12 months. Online attackers are getting increasingly sophisticated, finding new ways to outsmart our defenses. Chief Investment Officer Tony Roth sits down with cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright to discuss what businesses and indivi...
Sep 22, 2021•42 min
