Meet the AI makers
Emerging markets are building the backbone of the AI revolution, offering long-term investors a compelling way in.
19 Aug 2025
15 minutes
In the first of a two-part podcast, Jen Ford speaks with Ninety One EM equities portfolio manager Archie Hart about why this cycle feels different, what’s driving renewed momentum, and how EMs are increasingly defined by policy discipline, innovation, and market-led growth.
From shifting investor sentiment to the meaningful impact of even modest reallocations away from the US, this conversation sets the stage for understanding the factors shaping EM equities today and explores potential future trends.
General risks. The value of investments, and any income generated from them, can fall as well as rise. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Environmental, social or governance related risk events or factors, if they occur, could cause a negative impact on the value of investments.
Specific risks. Emerging market (inc. China): These markets carry a higher risk of financial loss than more developed markets as they may have less developed legal, political, economic or other systems.
It has been another strong year for EM equities, which has left many investors pondering where exactly we are in this cycle. Archie Hart and Varun Laijawalla explain why there is scope to capture a re-rating that they believe has considerable upside from here.
Overlapping pressures across agriculture, fertiliser and energy markets could create fresh inflationary risks this year, with wide ranging implications for commodity markets, monetary policy and emerging market assets.
For years, capital has gravitated to the US. A one-way trade powered by tech dominance and economic heft. But as the world tilts on its axis, the next cycle is unlikely to resemble the last, and the investment map is beginning to redraw itself.
Oil shocks don’t just disrupt, they accelerate change. Higher prices and energy insecurity are fast-tracking the shift to electrification and clean technology, led by emerging markets.
Market conditions appear to be shifting in favour of emerging market equities. We explore how to structure an allocation to achieve broad exposure to the return-potential of the asset class while managing risks.
Capital is returning to emerging market equities. This paper sets out why the investment approach matters and why active strategies have been rewarded in emerging markets.
There are plenty of catalysts for Chinese equities in 2026, with the latest Five-Year Plan likely to be the centre of attention. We believe that there are abundant opportunities in the Chinese equity market, which still trades at a notable discount to developed markets.
Emerging markets outperformance tends to happen in multi-year cycles. The question for 2026 is whether we are closer to the end or the beginning of this EM cycle. There is strong evidence that it is the latter.
While US mega caps continue to dominate the conversation, there are select companies in Asia and other emerging markets that have quietly become indispensable players in the global AI value chain. We believe that the ‘Secret Seven’ could help drive another positive year in emerging market equities.
The AI boom increasingly depends on hardware. A small group of emerging market firms sit at the physical limits of that infrastructure, yet still trade at deep discounts. The “Secret Seven” may represent one of the most overlooked opportunities in global equities.
Under-owned but now firmly on global investors’ radars, emerging markets are set to play a bigger role in portfolios. Compelling – and often mispriced – investment opportunities can be found across asset classes, but careful selection is increasingly vital.
A major headwind to emerging market equity performance is fading. Read how this structural shift could lift future returns and reshape the case for EM allocations.
Emerging markets are diverse, and so are investors’ goals. For those seeking flexibility around China exposure, EM ex-China provides an alternative way to capture growth, resilience, and diversification.
A new cycle reshaping global equity leadership.
Jen Ford and Archie Hart share how discipline, bottom-up stock selection and a clear risk framework can help unlock long-term value in EM equities.
Emerging market equities portfolio managers Archie Hart and Varun Laijawalla argue that stronger fundamentals, pragmatic policy, and resilient performance are reshaping investor perceptions of risk in emerging market equities.
Emerging markets are building the backbone of the AI revolution, offering long-term investors a compelling way in.
Our research offers three reasons why the dollar’s upside is limited, while the balance of risks increasingly point lower.
Shifting from reducing financed emissions to financing reduced emissions. Using practical examples, this paper sets out how we can evolve the approach to net-zero investing to achieve the dual objectives of delivering decarbonisation in the real economy while optimising returns for clients and beneficiaries.
A core strategy seeking to generate alpha across emerging market cycles

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