The global sustainable fund beating the ESG blues
Despite secular outflows, resilient strategies show competitive performance across sustainable funds.
Royal London Global Sustainable Equity delivered 14.5 per cent in 2025, outperforming the IA Global sector average of 11.2 per cent. Since its launch in February 2020, the fund has risen 114.2 per cent, underscoring that sustainability can coexist with fundamentals in turbulent markets. The fund managers emphasise a balanced approach: integrating non-financial considerations with traditional credit and earnings analysis to identify companies delivering durable growth while contributing to cleaner, safer, and more inclusive outcomes.
The fund’s governance and disclosure standards are central to its investment thesis. Managers say sustainability signals act as long-term financial indicators in disguise, identifying quality and resilience across a global opportunity set. They stress a country-agnostic approach, tempered by governance and human capital criteria, with Europe and the UK noted for disclosed practices that support conviction. Yet, flows remain under pressure across the sustainable space, particularly in late 2025, reflecting broader market volatility and shifts in investor sentiment.
Looking ahead, the narrative turns to 2026 flows and performance, plus potential changes in holdings governance and disclosure structures. Regular updates on how portfolio construction evolves in response to macro volatility will remain a key test for sustainable investing. The balance between sustainability and fundamentals is likely to shape outcomes as markets navigate inflation pressures and regulatory evolution.
The nine emerging markets funds to invest with no stress
A curated EM fund set offers drawdown resilience alongside upside potential through selective downside capture and risk controls.
Trustnet identified nine emerging markets funds with top-decile downside capture against the MSCI Emerging Markets index and first-decile Sortino ratios. Notable examples include Redwheel Next Generation Emerging Markets Equity, with a downside capture of -7.93 per cent and a Sortino of 1.46, and Invesco Emerging Markets ex China (UK) with a downside capture of 34.74 per cent and a Sortino of 0.85. The compilation aims to provide diversified exposure that can dampen drawdowns while preserving upside capture.
The strategy rests on selecting funds with robust risk metrics and prudent volatility management, rather than chasing outright performance. Quarterly performance comparisons against MSCI EM and related flows into these funds will be critical to assess whether the drawdown protection translates into enduring risk-adjusted returns. Investors will want to scrutinise sector and geographic tilts, currency risks, and the managers’ track records in volatile episodes.
As with any EM allocation, the near-term implication hinges on macro momentum and global liquidity cycles. If growth slows and risk appetite tightens, drawdown protection becomes more valuable, but active management and cost structures will matter. The case for this suite rests on a disciplined, outcomes-focused approach to preserving capital while preserving opportunities for upside when markets stabilise.
U.S. crude production dips in December as Bakken leads pullback
December output shows a pruned but still high plateau, with regional hits from high costs and demand signals.
U S crude oil output averaged 13.655 million barrels per day in December, down from 13.788 mbpd in November and the lowest daily average since June 2025. North Dakota’s production fell to 1.092 mbpd, down 6.5 per cent, with Ohio around -6 per cent and Louisiana -3 per cent. Alaska rose to 433,000 bpd, and Gulf of Mexico output rebounded to 1.996 mbpd. The decline is modest by historic standards but signals a price-sensitive response from producers in a tight-cost environment.
The December moderation aligns with softer prices in late autumn, when WTI hovered in the mid-to-high $60s. Operators, particularly in higher-cost basins like the Bakken, appear to be prioritising maintenance over growth at current price levels. If WTI can hold above $70 into Q1, the softness may prove temporary, but the data suggests producers are balancing capex discipline with cash-flow preservation.
Looking forward, January data will be closely watched for shifts in regional dynamics and trajectory. If prices firm, the Brent-WTI spread and flow into pipe and rail logistics will become additional levers shaping production decisions. The broader narrative remains that supply remains resilient even as growth is constrained by cost pressures and investor caution.
Tanker carrying Russian oil diverts from Cuba
Sanctions enforcement and energy shortfalls interact with regional trade routes and shipping risk.
A tanker believed to be carrying Russian oil to fuel-starved Cuba diverted away, reportedly carrying around 200,000 barrels of Russian gas oil. The move occurs amid US enforcement pressures and energy shortages within Cuba, illustrating how sanctions and supply constraints can reconfigure regional trade dynamics. The shift raises questions about Cuba’s energy reliability and how sanction regimes are affecting regional flows in the Caribbean.
Tracking shipments that avoid Cuba and monitoring any new enforcement actions or licensing updates will be critical to gauge ongoing shifts in sanctioned flows. The event underlines the fragility of existing supply chains and the potential for sanctions to create unexpected routing changes, with broader implications for regional energy security and political risk.
Observers will scan for signs of further diversions or new licensing hurdles, particularly as enforcement tools become more granular. The balance between constrained supply and market access remains delicate, with downstream implications for pricing, insurance and vessel utilisation across the Caribbean basin.
The Oil Glut That Never Showed Up
Industry commentary questions the glut narrative, emphasising logistics and policy as the real price drivers.
Oilprice argues there was no real glut in 2026: floating storage around 900 million barrels, OECD stocks not surging, and OPEC+ not flooding the market. Instead, tight logistics, risk premia, and refinery configurations are shaping the actual flow patterns. The piece challenges the glut hypothesis and stresses that market fragility is driven by geopolitics and investment discipline more than stockpiles.
If tanker rates, upstream investment signals, and OECD inventory trends begin to align with a glut, the market could rebalance quickly; until then, volatility remains tied to geopolitical developments, refinery constraints, and capacity utilisation. The analysis invites a closer look at how supply chain bottlenecks and risk pricing interact with inventory data to shape price trajectories.
Market watchers should keep an eye on headline risk around sanctions, shipping insurance, and regulatory shifts, as these can quickly alter the perceived balance of supply and demand. The absence of a classical glut means the energy complex remains sensitive to headlines and strategic storage decisions.
Crude Jumps as Iran Risks Mount
Geopolitical frictions push crude higher even when fundamentals are mixed, with attention turning to supply routes and policy responses.
Oil rallied as US-Iran tensions intensified, with WTI closing at 67.02, Brent at 72.4, and the May contract at 72.87 as demand expectations rode on geopolitical risk premiums. A scheduled OPEC+ meeting dominated sentiment, with traders closely watching for any policy actions that could alter supply expectations. The mood reflects how risk pricing remains a core driver even when core fundamentals are not conclusively tight.
Observers are keeping an eye on potential shifts in Hormuz dynamics and any new Iran developments. OPEC+ decisions will be pivotal in shaping how much supply the market expects to come online in the near term, particularly if geopolitical risk remains elevated or if sanctions intersect with shipping routes.
Watchers will also monitor how political messaging and diplomatic signals translate into actual inventory movements and refinery utilisation. The intersection of geopolitics and market structure continues to be the principal driver of volatility in the near term.
Lithium Is Starting to Behave Like a Geopolitical Asset
Policy design and sovereign decisions are reconfiguring the lithium market into a security-conscious, capital-allocation setting.
Lithium is increasingly treated as a geopolitical asset. The United States formally designating lithium as a critical mineral influences permitting priorities, funding pathways, and how institutional capital assesses downside risk. Zimbabwe’s export ban on raw minerals is part of a broader trend of resource nationalism, pushing processing value downstream and tightening supply chain flexibility for Western buyers.
Demand drivers - grid storage, AI infrastructure power needs, and EV adoption - are structurally aligning, pulling lithium in multiple directions beyond traditional consumer demand. The geopolitical and policy architecture surrounding lithium is shifting price expectations and investment strategies, with long-run implications for price floors and supply chain realignments.
Market observers should watch policy actions, export controls, and changes in battery supply-chain dynamics as indicators of how lithium pricing and availability may evolve. The degree to which permitting and processing capacity can scale will shape the commodity’s strategic relevance for years to come.
Reddit Governance Under Scrutiny: Regulation Pressure Mounts
A policy briefing flags governance vulnerabilities that could invite stronger regulatory oversight in a growing digital economy.
A policy brief argues Reddit’s governance features may invite enhanced regulatory oversight, citing CFIUS scrutiny, Tencent investment, and an SEC review that could accompany rising MAU growth in 2026. The piece highlights the potential for shifts in platform ownership, governance, and capital dependencies if regulators tighten control over digital platforms with large user bases.
The near-term implication is a tightening of regulatory risk around platform ownership structures and foreign investment pathways. Regulators could pursue more stringent disclosures, governance standards, and national security considerations as MAU growth accelerates. Market participants will watch CFIUS activity, SEC reviews, and any regulatory proposals that could alter platform ownership or data governance.
This signal suggests a broader recalibration of how platform-based ecosystems are financed and governed, with potential knock-on effects for digital advertising, data monetisation, and strategic partnerships in the social media space.
The SaaSpocalypse: It Isn’t the AI, It’s the Budget
A long-form discourse reframes the software downturn as a consequence of shifting corporate budgets toward AI infrastructure.
A long-form post argues that the software sector’s downturn reflects demand compression as CIOs reallocate budgets from seat-based SaaS to AI compute and broader AI infrastructure. The argument reframes sector risk away from a pure AI hype cycle toward corporate budgeting choices and the changing economics of software as a service.
The near-term implication is a potential tilt away from traditional SaaS models toward energy and infrastructure investments supporting AI workloads. Renewed focus on renewal rates, seat-based revenue trends, and enterprise AI infrastructure spend will be crucial to understand which software models survive a broader AI transition. Investors will want to assess how price and value capture evolve as budgets shift toward AI capabilities.