Are you asking the questions that matter?

In this chapter, we focus on “How to re-orient capital to the long term?” There is increasing empirical evidence in support of long-horizon investing, but is this easier said than done? How do key stakeholders move from talking about the importance of long-termism to taking action, and reaping the benefits of doing so?

We will further develop the theme of long-termism and outline practical ways to re-orient capital in Chapters 2 and 3 of Journal 5, which will be published in late 2017 and early 2018.

In this chapter, we continue to explore our theme of capitalising on the long term.

We start with Michael Power, Strategist, discussing disruptive technologies and its long-run implications. Our next piece from Investec’s 4Factor team argues that the cycle is turning in active’s favour, despite the growth in passive investing. Next, we turn our lens towards Africa and the potential for long-term value creation in sub-Saharan real estate.

Our latest Investor’s View is from John Elkington, Chairman of Volans Ventures Consultancy and he sheds some light on developments in the ESG space. A large part of the ‘E’ component of ESG is overwhelmed by the coming renewable energy revolution. Here Tom Nelson, Head of Natural Resources discusses why this sector is a prime candidate for the deployment of long-term capital.

We continue to seek out and present interesting angles on the theme of capitalising on the long term.

One of those key themes is automation and its threat to job security, a theme explored by Martin Ford, author of ‘Rise of the Robots’, and Anton du Plooy, an Investec analyst. Geographically, we turn our attention to China in the second article, where Greg Kuhnert, who manages Investec’s Chinese equity funds, delves into the long-term implications of China’s ongoing drive to liberalise its asset markets. The China and technology themes come together in a piece by emerging market equity manager Archie Hart, revealing how China’s technological revolution is changing its economy and the world.

Elsewhere, Mike Hugman, who manages emerging market fixed income portfolios at Investec, explores a broad and enduring trend towards fundamental, underappreciated improvements across emerging markets. Last, but certainly not least, Therese Niklasson, head of ESG at Investec, presents some examples showing how integrating ESG into investments is transforming practices around the industry.