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24 December 2024

Home / Sponsors / MFS Investments

MFS Investments

Founded in 1924, MFS is a global investment manager with capabilities spanning all major asset classes, serving institutional investors and consultants for more than 40 years. The firm manages US$597 billion for clients across the globe (as of 12/31/23).

What sets MFS apart from other managers is that we have aligned our active investment approach and how we serve clients with a sole purpose: to create long-term value responsibly. Through that sense of responsibility and the strength of our investment platform, we strive to protect our investors' assets and our clients' reputations. Our powerful investment approach combines collective expertise, thoughtful risk management and long-term discipline to uncover investment opportunities that drive value for investors. We support this approach with our distinct culture of shared values and collaboration. That means bringing together teams of diverse thinkers to actively debate ideas, assess material risks and uncover what we believe are the best investment opportunities in the market.

As an active, global investment manager with investment and industry professionals located in eight financial centres across five continents, MFS is committed to being a valued partner for institutional and wholesale investors. We help clients meet their financial goals by providing long term focused investment strategies, flexible investment vehicles and perspectives on the financial markets.

Visit www.mfs.com to learn more.

Latest sponsor articles

How will stocks fare with a smaller US government?

Less government involvement in the economy and markets is long overdue. But investors need to consider what a reduced government role may mean for the profitability of businesses that are unable to offset rising cost pressures.

How investor portfolios have become riskier versus history

Risk in portfolios has dramatically increased as time horizons have shortened and investors have piled into equities. It's resulted in a growing disconnect between what investors need and what the financial industry is delivering.

The risks of market concentration and not staying invested

MFS chief investment officer and CEO elect Ted Maloney talks market risks, similarities between Trump and Harris, and the most important thing investors can do to avoid destroying value.

What performs best after peaks in market concentration?

US market concentration in large technology companies has captured investor attention. Here explores how this concentration compares to history and what typically follows periods of extreme concentration.

Why allocating more to fixed income now makes sense

High bond-equity correlation suggests increased overall portfolio risk, making greater fixed income allocations crucial for managing volatility. While bonds no longer diversify portfolios as much, elevated yields make them attractive. 

The bull market in commodities may be just starting

The world is entering a higher cost environment which will hit the profits of companies in many sectors. A key beneficiary will be commodities, where supply shortages are meeting increasing demand from AI and green energy.

Markets are about to get a whole lot harder

As the world shifts away from one of artificially suppressed interest rates and cheap manufacturing, investors will need to carefully consider how companies are positioned to navigate the new higher-cost paradigm.

Passive investing is bad for capitalism

While capitalism has its downsides, no system allocates resources better, and the result is a complex, adaptive economy. But indexation has amplified the disconnect between valuations and fundamentals, with worrying implications.

The far-flung past as prologue

The negative stock/bond correlation from 1998 until 2019 was the anomaly, not the positive relationship that began in 2022. In the years ahead, portfolio diversification should come increasingly from security and manager selection.

The case for a global small-mid cap portfolio

Global asset owners have historically allocated capital to two distinct equity asset classes: global large cap and/or global small cap. There's a good argument for a small-midcap fund to be part of investor portfolios.

The cheapest small cap valuations in decades

Small and mid cap stocks potentially offer investors an opportunity not seen in decades as valuations are close to two standard deviations 'cheap' relative to larger companies. It's not the only thing in their favour.

The 60/40 portfolio is back

In 2023, the focus will shift to the economic cycle. While equities and some of the riskier fixed income markets have challenges, a solid risk-free rate added to a 3-4% equity risk premium is a good through-cycle return.

Firstlinks Interview Series - bonus eBook

A collection of interviews with financial markets experts on investing, superannuation, retirement and other topical issues, as published by Firstlinks over 2021 and 2022.

Beware the hit to earnings in 2023

Decelerating inflation should provide a tailwind for high quality bonds but will likely hurt company margins and therefore stock prices. Uncompetitive companies facing elevated capital costs will be most at risk.

In portfolio construction, actions speak louder than words

Portfolio construction requires actions, not just words, based on expected returns, volatility and correlations. We have not seen sufficient pain to believe we are at the bottom of the equity cycle.

Beware the headlines as averages don’t tell the whole story

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Cash is the nightingale, the bird in the hand

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Roger Morley on the merit of obstinacy in global investing

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Sponsor White Papers

A resilience recipe for what comes next

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Fixed income is attractive, but beware of 'fake' yield

Soaring policy rates have made cash a competitive asset again, prompting an overdue de-rating of risk assets. But just because yields are higher, that doesn’t mean risk is lower.

Fixed income: Volatility and uncertainty here to stay

Two words come to mind when describing fixed income markets at present: volatility and uncertainty. The macro factors influencing the current environment include COVID's legacy, war in Ukraine, high inflation, tightening monetary policy and a strong dollar.

The case for a strategic allocation to EMD in Australian portfolios

With equity valuations at all-time highs, fixed income yields at or near historic lows and volatility top of mind for investors, the emerging market debt (EMD) asset class may warrant a closer look for Australian investors.

It’s the second mouse that gets the cheese

The markets are awash in crosscurrents, so it’s critical to focus on what’s material and filter out market noise. When things get complicated, it's helpful to try to simplify them.

Minicycles and liquidity as a fixed income alpha lever

Shifts in market structure post-GFC have led to lasting changes in the behavior of credit spreads, with significant implications for active investors.

To have an impact on diversity, count on culture

The world is pushing for social change, with calls to alleviate social injustice and racial inequality growing louder around the globe. Businesses have as much responsibility for diversity and inclusion as individuals.

Panic is the enemy

COVID-19 is leading to unprecedented economic destruction across the world. While the human and financial cost will be enormous, dislocation also presents opportunities. Investors will need patience and a long-term horizon to benefit.

On board with a long-term view

A case study on shifting the performance evaluation mindset. This paper reflects the work done with MFS' mutual funds board and the process it took to push the business forward and think differently.

Emphasise the essentials of long-term investing

Developing and overseeing a retirement-spending strategy can be a complex undertaking. As both life expectancies and the number of retirees who will need to rely on their superannuation portfolios increase, so too will the challenges facing retirees.

Market performance has changed since late 2018, but have the facts?

Hope is not an investment thesis.Investor pain in the final quarter of 2018 has seemingly faded from memory, based on the rerisking across global equity and credit markets in the first two months of 2019.

2019 and a shifting emphasis from return to risk

While the short term remains difficult to forecast, fundamentals drive cash flows and cash flows drive asset prices, and these fundamentals are units, price, margin and earnings.

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Ethical considerations in the technology sector

Technology has improved our standard of living, but the rapid pace of development has created ethical dilemmas for companies, impacted many users and overwhelmed regulatory bodies.

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The companies that will benefit from urbanisation

For the first time in human history there are more people (55%) living in urban areas than in rural areas, placing tremendous stress on resources, infrastructure and the human psyche.

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Time to align investment horizons

A misalignment between investors and their asset managers could be causing them to forfeit the full value of active management.

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