Monday
I start the day with an early morning cycle to work from my home in East London to our Victoria office – it’s a great route along the Thames past all the famous landmarks so provides a refreshing start to the week.
Once settled at my desk, the day is held together by three core pillars.
The first is our portfolio managers’ meeting. There are three of us managing fixed income portfolios, and it’s a highly collaborative session. We discuss what has happened in the funds, review our positioning, challenge our thinking and make sure the rationale behind our decisions still holds as we prepare for the week ahead.
Later, as US markets come into focus, I like to listen to an economics call that covers developments across rates, equities, foreign exchange and commodities. It also previews the key data releases coming up. It’s an excellent way to understand the shape of the week and identify the events that are likely to matter most.
The third pillar is our team meeting. Monday afternoons are often dedicated to new ideas. Recently, for example, we identified an opportunity to explore Canadian telecom hybrids. My analysts prepared a deep dive into the market, covering the key issuers, the investable universe and the opportunities available. The discussion allowed us to make an informed decision about whether the asset class deserved a place in our portfolios.
We also reviewed recent homebuilder earnings, where several companies had downgraded guidance. We wanted to understand where we were in the housing cycle, what might represent a turning point and whether government stimulus could become a catalyst for the sector.
The remainder of the day is spent translating those discussions into action through trading and portfolio implementation.
Tuesday
One of the most interesting aspects of portfolio management is that I can begin the day with a carefully prepared to-do list and find that, by the evening, many of the most important things I’ve worked on weren’t even on it.
On this particular Tuesday, we were monitoring a series of earnings releases. At the same time, we continued reviewing our sector allocations. We believe the high-yield market has matured to the point where sector positioning can have a meaningful impact on performance, so understanding where we’re overweight or underweight is an important part of the investment process.
I also spent time looking at attribution analysis, understanding what drove performance, identifying which themes were working and evaluating the characteristics we want to own going forward.
Wednesday
Wednesdays often feature our macro meeting. We use a structured framework that assesses regions through three lenses: fundamentals, technicals and valuations.
From a fundamental perspective, we examine economic growth, monetary policy, fiscal policy and survey data such as PMIs. We also pay close attention to measures like economic surprise indices to understand how reality compares with expectations. The objective is to build a clear picture of where we want to take risk and, just as importantly, where we want that risk concentrated.
Because we manage genuinely global portfolios, we’re not constrained by geography. We can invest wherever we find the best opportunities, which makes having a disciplined top-down framework especially important. Those regional views then feed into our sector and security selection process, helping refine our investment decisions.
Wednesdays are one of our core days with everyone in the office, so I take the opportunity to catch up with our head of dealing. To take advantage of the good weather, we make it a walking meeting around St James’s Park and Green Park to get our steps in, while covering all the issues and action points for the week.
Thursday
Thursday is one of my favourite days of the week because it gives me the chance to step outside my own asset class. We have a company-wide investment meeting that brings together investors from across Mirabaud Asset Management. While my focus is fixed income, we also have teams managing convertible bonds and global, European and Swiss equities.
Understanding how these different markets interact is incredibly valuable. Often, insights from one area can inform opportunities in another.
We hear from our economics team on the major developments shaping markets, review technical indicators and discuss the views of our multi-asset colleagues. That’s particularly useful because it offers a window into broader asset allocation trends and potential market flows. After that, we move into more asset-class-specific discussions and continue refining our views.
Friday
Friday starts with a privilege that has nothing to do with markets. I get to do the school run.
Having the flexibility to walk my children to school is something I value enormously. We go through Victoria Park, grab a pastry and watch the birds on the lake. On the return leg, I can reflect on the week and think about what still needs to be done before the weekend.
This particular Friday I had a morning update call, which meant I had the opportunity to speak directly with clients. I host an informal update for UK fixed income investors, reviewing the month’s key developments, discussing the themes we’re watching and highlighting what matters most for investors. The prepared remarks last around 15 minutes, but the real value often comes afterwards. The conversation can easily continue for an hour as clients ask questions and share their concerns, observations and priorities.
For me, those discussions are incredibly valuable. They’re not really about products. They’re about understanding clients, hearing what matters to them and maintaining the connection that sits at the heart of investment style. Ultimately, everything we do is about delivering outcomes for our clients.
The rest of Friday is spent ensuring that the week’s decisions have been implemented correctly. The link between strategy and execution is critical, and it’s important to make sure that investment ideas are reflected in portfolios efficiently and on time.
Weekend
Without sounding too clichéd, the weekend belongs to family. Most of my time is spent ferrying my two children between clubs, chasing after Pokémon and helping them look after their eclectic selection of pets, including Medusa the snake! If I’m fortunate, I might also squeeze in a game of padel or something cultural.
Ultimately, it’s important to find a good balance between recharging and keeping one eye on the news so that when Monday arrives, I’m ready to hit the ground running.
