Behind the Headlines

Nigel Wilson, CEO, Legal & General and Jim Reid discuss how the future is in our own hands and that there are huge opportunities out there in new technologies and strategic investments that can overcome many of the secular negative forces we are all familiar with (debt, demographics, low productivity, etc.). However, Nigel believes we need to shed our old-fashioned attitude to the type of assets we invest in long-term and urges governments to provide the infrastructure and regulatory regime to make the future as bright as he thinks it can be.

What they discuss:

• What’s it like running a business during a pandemic when almost everyone has been working from home?
• What is the future of work?
• How do big cities need to adapt post pandemic?
• Will a fourth technological revolution overpower secular problems such as debt, demographics, and low productivity?
• Are we seeing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for governments to borrow to invest?
• Should we be moving away more from traditional investments like government bonds and into more new economy and infrastructure projects?
• What is the future of green investment? Should the focus be on carbon capture or renewables?
• How does Legal & General view ESG?
• Modular housing – is it starting to gather momentum?
• Intergenerational divide – is housing and building more a way to fix that?
• Is there a bubble in tech valuations in the US at the moment?
• Were negative rates in Europe an error?
• Will London maintain its advantage in financial services post Brexit?