AsianInvestor - Knowledge Hub

Benchmarks remain a vital tool for active fixed income investors, but they were never meant to be the final destination. As market dynamics become more complex and investor priorities evolve, allocators are increasingly adopting a total portfolio approach (TPA), focusing more on whether portfolios are delivering the outcomes that matter most to investors. By L&G's Alex Mack, Head of Rates and Inflation; Ian Hutchinson, Head of Global Bond Strategies - Benchmark; and Radha Mathur, Fixed Income Investment Specialist.

Benchmarks remain a vital tool for active fixed income investors, but they were never meant to be the final destination. As market dynamics become more complex and investor priorities evolve, allocators are increasingly adopting a total portfolio approach (TPA), focusing more on whether portfolios are delivering the outcomes that matter most to investors. By L&G's Alex Mack, Head of Rates and Inflation; Ian Hutchinson, Head of Global Bond Strategies - Benchmark; and Radha Mathur, Fixed Income Investment Specialist.

Real estate is racing to catch up as technology, regulation and capital costs accelerate obsolescence. Robert Balick and Frédéric Laurent of BauMont Real Estate Capital, in which M&G Investments holds a majority stake through its real estate platform, examine how value add strategies are evolving and why building portfolios around more than one market story is becoming increasingly important.

As investors rethink the role of fixed income in a more volatile and fragmented market environment, asset-based credit (ABC) is emerging as a differentiated source of shorter-duration income, structural downside protection and diversification beyond traditional corporate lending, says Sachin Patel, managing director at Neuberger.

Investor preferences are shifting quickly, but not always in the same direction. Asia Pacific (APAC) remains a region of sharply different market structures, distribution models and regulatory regimes, which means what works in one market may not translate cleanly to the next. Dan Watkins, CEO for Asia Pacific at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, says the job for asset managers is to stay close to how decisions are being made amid the increasing role of AI, active ETFs and private markets in portfolio conversations – and to execute well as playbooks change.

Global credit has reset – but the playbook has changed. Alpha will no longer come from simply accessing spread, but from integrating credit, rates and regional insights to navigate a more fragmented market, says Ian Hutchinson, Head of Global Bond Strategies – Benchmark, L&G.

Manulife is proposing a new framework to modernise retirement systems in the region, to make them fit for purpose in a world where people live longer, retire earlier than expected and face uncertain outcomes in volatile markets.

The commercial real estate (CRE) debt risk spectrum presents a range of opportunities for lenders. In this piece, Wellington Management examines the transitional lending market, highlighting what makes these assets attractive across market environments and how transitional CRE debt allocations fit within portfolios.

A survey in Q1 2026 of more than 80 senior executives from 65 leading asset owners by AsianInvestor, in collaboration with Aberdeen Investments, reveals how investors in Asia Pacific are balancing returns, liquidity and capital efficiency in a more complex environment.

A survey in Q1 2026 of more than 80 senior executives from 65 leading asset owners by AsianInvestor, in collaboration with Aberdeen Investments, reveals how investors in Asia Pacific are balancing returns, liquidity and capital efficiency in a more complex environment.