Charlie Macquaker reflects on 34 years at Walter Scott, sharing insights from his early days to recent research trips in China and Sweden, and discusses the enduring principles that underpin the firm’s investment approach. Visiting companies and engaging directly with management teams reveals insights that go far beyond desk-based analysis. As the current AI frenzy echoes the dotcom days, why healthy scepticism is vital for effective long-term investing.China’s rapid infrastructure and t...

Stablecoins are now bypassing banks, AI agents are making purchases and global payments are accelerating rapidly. Jamie Zegleman discusses the technologies reshaping the payments landscape, cross‑border flows, and everyday commerce. Stablecoins are scaling fast, with over $250bn in circulation and trillions in annual transaction volume — driven by speed, cost efficiency, and growing adoption across crypto trading and international money transfers.Agentic commerce is becoming real, as AI agent...

Curious about how Walter Scott is charting a course through volatile stock markets? In this podcast, Investment Manager AJ Kyle and Executive Director Roy Leckie delve into three critical areas: Stock-by-stock scrutiny: Evaluating the supply chains of companies such as Intuitive Surgical to understand their tariff exposure.Project-based analysis: Identifying both defensive and offensive opportunities arising from the tariffs.New idea generation: Exploring opportunities in sectors such as prec...

How did one man’s prudent attitude spark a multibillion-dollar business empire? On a recent trip to the US, investment analyst Dr Oriana Beaumont visited Fastenal to understand how the industrial giant is still driven by its founder’s razor-sharp focus on cost control. Fastenal has transformed itself from a retailer of industrial products to a strategic supply-chain partnerThe Fastenal model continues to evolve, with roomy retail spaces being turned into high-efficiency warehouses dedicated t...

Japan has a rich heritage in robotics, consumer electronics and the automotive industry. But where are the next growth opportunities? Investment Manager Lucia Gibbard went to Japan to find out. In the foothills of Mount Fuji, robots make robots in total darkness 24/7Companies are investing heavily in digital transformation to enhance efficiencyAs the global supply chain diversifies away from China, Japan's semiconductor industry looks set to benefit Resources: ASML - The Future is AI (...

For businesses and investors with a global perspective, the immense size of India’s economy, combined with its impressive rate of economic growth, makes it critical to understand. Investment analyst Connor Graham discusses his recent trip to the country where he met with numerous companies across different sectors.With almost half of India’s population under the age of 25, the scale of consumers entering the market is hard for businesses to ignore. The turnaround time of Indian ports av...

A visit to China highlights the perils of making generalisations about such a vast and complex country. Investment manager Paul Loudon reports back from the bright lights of Chengdu, Chongqing and Hong Kong whilst investment manager AJ Kyle provides an update on the team’s recent travels and investment insights.Key takeawaysThere are palpable signs of an economic buzz in Chengdu and Chongqing, from the cranes on the skyline to a shiny new airport.But consumers are cautious. Manufacturers of b...

AI-driven technologies such as ChatGPT are being adopted at breakneck speeds. Because of this, companies are scrambling to keep up - they need smarter software, stronger networks and better computers. This has created huge opportunities for pioneering firms such as TSMC, ASML and Nvidia. Investment managers Tom Miedema and Jamie Zegleman explore whether these innovative companies will maintain their competitive edge. The podcast is intended for investment professionals only and sho...

For investment professionals onlyIn a wide-ranging discussion, Investment Managers Des Armstrong and Alan Edington debate the ongoing concentration of US markets, Japan’s impressive start to the year as well as trips to Denmark and LA to meet with, amongst others, healthcare, entertainment and medtech businesses. AI was the recurring theme throughout the discussion albeit there are question marks around how and, crucially, when this technology reaches meaningful scale.The podcast is intended ...

For investment professionals onlyIn our latest quarterly podcast, Walter Scott's Directors Charlie Macquaker and Roy Leckie discuss the remarkable performance of equity markets in 2023. They also reflect on some of the year’s research trips, including Charlie’s recent visit to Japan, and ask if the outperformance of the Magnificent Seven has been justified by fundamentals, and if it can continue.The podcast is intended for investment professionals only and should not be construed as investmen...

For investment professionals onlyIn our latest podcast, we hear from Walter Scott's Head of Research and Investment Manager Alan Lander, Investment Manager Fraser Fox and Investment Analyst Michael Scott, who’ve all recently returned from Asia. During discussions with companies across mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, they garnered plenty of valuable first-hand insights including on the reorganisation of global supply chains. Undoubtedly, China Plus One is a lot mo...

For investment professionals onlyIn Walter Scott's latest quarterly podcast, Investment Manager Paul Loudon considers current goings-on in China and why, in his view, the picture there is not all doom and gloom. He also shares insights from recent debates and the team’s latest travels before fellow Investment Manager Lindsay Scott joins him to talk about the ground-breaking, hugely topical and often controversial obesity drugs that have been developed by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.The podcast...

For investment professionals onlyIn this episode, Walter Scott Investment Managers Des Armstrong and Tom Miedema discuss their recent research trip to China and Taiwan. With ongoing headlines around geopolitical tensions and the end of China’s strict zero-Covid policy, it was a particularly timely visit.The podcast is intended for investment professionals only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation. Any stock examples discussed are given in the context of the the...

For investment professionals onlyWith reporting season underway, Walter Scott's Research team has been busy analysing, discussing, and debating the merits of numerous companies. It has also been a busy period for research trips – including the US, Italy, France, China, Taiwan, and a whisky distillery in the Scottish lowlands. In this podcast, Investment Managers Alan Lander and Lindsay Scott discuss these and other issues, including the consumer discretionary sector and, as LVMH becomes the c...

For investment professionals only2023 has been a busy year so far, with members of Walter Scott's Research team travelling far and wide – to India, Germany, Spain and the US. Here, Investment Managers Tom Miedema and Matthew Gerlach discuss the findings from some of these trips, focusing particularly on their semiconductor industry visit to the US. Over two weeks, they met with businesses as well as policymakers to get an update on the industry’s long-term outlook, growth expectations and US-...