Latest news with #TimOBrien
Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
How are fixed income investors responding to market volatility?
Overview This episode of the Market Dialogues podcast features Joseph Higgins, Head of Multi-Sector Portfolio Management on Nuveen's Global Fixed Income team, in a conversation with Tim O'Brien, Global COO of Pricing at Bloomberg. The discussion explores how rapid technological advances are reshaping the fixed income landscape, from how investors access and act on market data to the growing role of AI and automation in portfolio management. In the context of volatile markets, Higgins shares his perspective on navigating risk, identifying opportunities in the fixed income space, and adapting investment strategies to a changing environment. About the series In focus Featured insights from this episode of Market Dialogues: On active portfolio management during periods of volatility Joseph Higgins: [During periods of volatility] there are sectors or securities that don't trade and remain a bit of an unknown…But generally, those periods are periods of opportunity. We traded actively throughout that period [volatility period in April 2025], [guided by] our fundamental views and a lot of quantitative and proprietary overlays.* On fixed market opportunities JH: In terms of an operating methodology—because, as we're all aware, a lot of the tariff elements are not resolved…There are some areas that are more dislocated than others—munis would fold into that [investment opportunities] thematic. We may have, if inflation increases at the margins, a situation where rates stay [higher] a little bit longer than we otherwise would've thought. That could make leveraged loans attractive, potentially, given that they're floating-rate instruments, and you'd get more yield on those for longer… The last two that come to mind are the securitized sector, specifically Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (CMBS) and Asset-Backed Securities (ABS). While particularly CMBS have rallied enormously, there's still a lot of moving pieces in terms of the expertise needed to underwrite those securities properly and assess risk in markets that are still changing dramatically on a regional and national basis… On use of AI in fixed income markets JH: AI is obviously a dynamic and important element of what's going on in finance. We have an official AI policy at Nuveen. We are certainly of the view that while it's unlikely in the near term or intermediate term to impact decision making directly, we would not even attempt to use AI to make an investment decision.
BBC News
01-06-2025
- BBC News
Knaresborough: Church solar panels in trial to power nearby homes
A church in Knaresborough is taking part in a trial in which 91 solar panels on its roof could help power nearby homes and businesses, including the fire scheme will see the newly-installed panels divert any excess energy to the local community, rather than return it to the National is part of a wider trial, commissioned by energy regulator Ofgem, testing how renewable energy generated in local neighbourhoods can be shared more Reverend Gordon Hay, of Gracious Street Methodist Church, said: "The idea that we could share some of that energy with our neighbours – people who live or work just around the corner – feels like exactly what a church should be doing." There are 78 homes and small businesses on the same local electricity circuit as the church, including the town's fire station, and the aim is to ensure that clean, affordable energy can benefit them overall scheme, which includes similar initiatives at two other local sites, is being led by Knaresborough Community Hay said: "It started with members of the congregation asking, 'what more can we do?' "We're already a community hub – now we can be an energy hub too."Alongside the wider environmental benefits, the church is also hoping to improve its finances, since the panels - which were installed over the Easter period - should help reduce energy bills. Tim O'Brien, Net Zero Officer for the Yorkshire North & East Methodist District, said: "This is about building a smarter, more community-focused energy system. "Instead of relying on energy being pushed in from far away, we can generate it here in Knaresborough, and use it here – saving money and cutting waste."He suggested the scheme could also reduce the need for major infrastructure, such as pylons and underground cables, which are typically required to carry electricity over long residents can find out more about the scheme at an exhibition at the church on Saturday 7June, as part of the Great Big Green Week. "In a world that often feels uncertain, this is something positive and grounded," said Mr Hay. "It's not about grand statements. It's about doing the right thing – for your neighbours, your town, and your future."
