EM to the core, Ep. 3/7 – The emerging markets consumer

Emerging markets are anything but homogeneous: institutions, policy regimes, commodity exposure, governance standards and political risk vary. This dispersion is the opportunity set for true active managers to compound value.

The rotation into emerging markets is embryonic, with global investor portfolios still over-exposed to US assets. Realigning investments to better reflect the engines of global economic growth will take decades, not months and this trend is only just gaining momentum.

Stock markets have been dominated by the energy and AI themes, centered around a tech-dominated US market that some feel is over-priced. In the latest episode of our podcast series with Robeco's investors, Chris Hart, Portfolio Manager of Robeco Boston Partners Global Premium Equities, explains how he finds pockets of value all over the world.

Framing around emerging markets has typically focused on risk, but long‑term investors see mispriced opportunity. In this 'EM to the core' episode, portfolio manager Daniela da Costa shares how she looks through the geopolitical noise to focus on how different emerging markets are repositioning themselves in this new environment.

In episode 3 we focus on a key structural force: the emerging markets consumer. Karnail Sangha of Robeco's Emerging Markets Equity team discusses who these consumers are, how rising incomes and digital inclusion are transforming their spending patterns, and what sectors stand to benefit from this powerful, long‑term growth trend.

Emerging markets are now leading innovation in strategic sectors. In our new 'EM to the core' episode, Robeco's Jaap van der Hart explains how countries like China, Korea, Taiwan and India have become key to the supply chains in semiconductors, AI hardware, autos and renewable energy – and what that means for investors.

In the first episode of our new podcast series, portfolio manager Wim-Hein Pals discusses six factors that support the case for emerging markets equities. The relative discount of around 30% compared to developed markets is probably the most significant.

Factor investing was built on powerful academic foundations, but its real-world results have become harder to ignore. While many traditional factor approaches have disappointed, some quant strategies have continued to outperform across cycles. In this podcast, we unpack the gap between theory and practice, and what it reveals about the evolution of quant investing.

Markets are selling off and this does not feel like a 'buy the dip' moment. Asian markets are taking a blow after the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed, while Europe is hit harder than the US. Profit taking even hurts traditional safe haven assets such as gold. The dollar, however, strengthens – as it should in times of crisis. 

As tensions in the Middle East intensified over the weekend, investors have been retreating toward traditional safe havens, such as oil, gold, the US dollar, and US Treasuries. The conflict's ripple effects are also being felt unevenly across regions, from Europe and the US to China. Robeco's Colin Graham takes a multi‑asset lens to the situation, exploring how markets are reacting and what those signals might mean for investors.