US election watch: the race heats up

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference recently concluded in Cali, Colombia. On today’s programme, we discuss both the event and the theme of biodiversity more generally with two leaders in the field from UBS: lead for advocacy and nature in the chief sustainability office, Judson Berkey; and global head of sustainable and impact investing for the UBS CIO, Andrew Lee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UBS International Pension Gap Index compares retirement systems across 25 markets based on the voluntary savings required from its participants. Its authors, James Mazeau and Elisabeth Beusch, explain why private savings are crucial to maintain an accustomed lifestyle in retirement. They explain how the index demonstrates the importance of planning and how investments can help close pension gaps. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ulrike Hoffmann-Burchardi, head CIO for equities in UBS Global Wealth Management, joins the show to discuss whether the current hype around AI technology and its adoption is justified. As capex and technical innovation continue apace, we’ll hear more about UBS’s investment framework to identify AI opportunities, shed some light on how AI actually works and highlight its implications for everything from the global economy to sustainable development.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report from the UBS Sustainability and Impact Institute explores whether key climate technologies are breaking through at the scale and pace required to address the climate crisis. William Nicolle, the author of the report, explains that despite climate tech’s vast potential for emissions reduction, there remains a tricky road ahead as most of these technologies are economically uncompetitive or as yet too immature to easily scale. We’ll hear how processes might be improved to better understand complex dependencies, and also to better inform strategic policy, investment and organisational decisions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Geopolitical upheaval and increasing economic pressure have led to a rethink of the EU’s main priorities. Former ECB president Mario Draghi’s long-awaited report on the future of European competitiveness offers a blueprint for change – but can the EU shift its economic priorities and set a fresh course for growth? We’re joined by Sam Adams, economist in the UBS Global Wealth Management CIO, to discuss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore the annual report providing an up-to-date take on global urban-housing markets and gauges the ‘bubble risk’ in residential property markets in 25 major cities worldwide. The 2024 edition charts a second successive year of slightly declining risk. We are joined from UBS by the report’s editor in chief, Matthias Holzhey, and also by Fahd Iqbal for a focus on Dubai.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our panel reflects on the US Federal Reserve decision to cut interest rates for the first time since March 2020. Paul Donovan, chief economist in UBS Global Wealth Management and Kiran Ganesh, managing director in the UBS Chief Investment Office, discuss the 50 basis-point reduction, consider the macro picture and explain what this week’s move means for investors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Paul Romer won the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his work integrating technological innovations into long-run macroeconomic analysis. In May, Romer spoke to Monocle Radio on the margins of the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong. In the latest in a series in which luminaries of economics share their unique perspectives, Romer explains the effect of human capital, innovation and knowledge on economic growth.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the yellow metal having rallied sharply to hit new highs, our panel explains whether they think gold will keep its hold on investors. Giovanni Staunovo and Wayne Gordon from UBS explain why the policy and risk environment, and structural demand, are combining to point to continued medium-term upturn in the price. Plus: why geopolitical fears and election-related risks continue to justify holding gold as a portfolio hedge.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thomas McLaughlin, managing director at the UBS Chief Investment Office, joins the show to reflect on the recently concluded Democratic National Convention in Chicago. We discuss the broader context of Kamala Harris’s truncated campaign and consider what the latest polling tells us about November’s vote.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.