News

During a Bloomberg TV appearance, Voya Financial Senior Portfolio Manager and Asset Allocation Head Barbara Reinhard discussed the market news of the day, including the Russell 2000 closing at a record high. On that news, Reinhard commented that “small caps have been beating value” in “the past one- and three-month period which does tell us small caps have leveraged the cyclical upswing. ... It is not surprising to see them do so well and we are very happy with that development in the market.” Reinhard also commented on President-elect Biden’s expected nomination of former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen as U.S. Treasury Secretary, saying, “I think Janet Yellen being appointed to the U.S. Treasury is a very powerful move on behalf of the incoming Biden Administration. ... I think she is well-versed on some of the difficulties that we’re seeing at the Fed in so many instances during her tenure. I think she also is well grounded in what she knows and doesn’t know. I think that she will certainly rely on some of the people at the Treasury and professionals at the Treasury.” Later during the interview, when asked about the high-yield bond market, Reinhard said, “There is still a very big reach for yield going on. You cannot find much yield in the Treasury market.” She added, “The corporate market certainly looks like it has given a lot of value at this point. So, I think it’s natural for pieces of high yield to start really participating that haven’t been able to participate previously. Don’t forget: the supports that the Fed had put in place to the high yield market were really significant.”

Bloomberg TV interviewed Voya Investment Management CEO Christine Hurtsellers. During the interview, Hurtsellers said that “we are worried” about the Washington’s inability to pass a fiscal stimulus package. According to Hurtsellers, “Our core view is we need $1.5 trillion ... to get things underway.” She added that further delay will fuel the need for a larger package in the future, which may need to total $2.5 trillion to properly shore up the economy. In particular, Hurtsellers said that “the lower income bracket, the people getting affected by COVID, they need the help to continue to boost consumer confidence.” As for potential investment opportunities, Hurtsellers said that “for our sophisticated client, we think commercial real estate” presents a compelling choice, especially for investors “a little more on the risk spectrum.”

In continuing coverage, PlanAdviser reported, “Voya Investment Management announced that it has acquired the technology and hired the founding team of G Squared Capital LLP (G2), a London-based investment manager that serves institutions and other sophisticated investors.” According to PlanAdviser, “G2’s technology applies machine intelligence to fundamental investing. The company’s proprietary technology is built to identify persistent patterns in company data.” Under the deal, “G2 Principals Gareth Shepherd, Gabriel Andraos and Yana Kramer will form the new Equity Machine Intelligence (EMI) group within Voya Investment Management’s quantitative equities business.” PlanAdviser added, “Based in London, they will report to Vincent Costa, head of quantitative equity for Voya Investment Management.” Voya IM Head of Equities Michael Pytosh said, “This transaction supports our focus on building best-in-class equity portfolios that meet our clients’ long-term investment needs. Further, our new EMI team has the knowledge base and tools to accelerate Voya’s efforts to incorporate environmental, social and governance [ESG] factors in our investment selection process.”

Private Banker International, “Voya Investment Management (IM) has acquired the technology of G Squared Capital (G2) to boost its equity investment business.” Neither party disclosed the financial details of the transaction. “Founded in 2011, G2 is based in London and focuses on delivering customised investment solutions.” G2 “uses artificial intelligence to find persistent patterns in company and ESG data.” According to Voya IM Equities Head Michael Pytosh, “This transaction supports our focus on building best-in-class equity portfolios that meet our clients’ long-term investment needs.” He added, “Further, our new EMI team has the knowledge base and tools to accelerate Voya’s efforts to incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in our investment selection process.”

In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box, Voya Investment Management Head of Asset Allocation Barbara Reinhard said that the election’s outcome, so far, means “that fiscal policy and trade wars are going to get a lot of relief.” According to Reinhard, with Biden now in a position to take the White House, “The trade war relief has huge implications for the rest of the world and so many small countries in the Asian emerging markets had really been threatened.” She added that the U.S. economy “is slowing and the rest of the world is slowing right now under the heavy weight of rising COVID infections, so I think the big story is fiscal policy.” Furthermore, Reinhard said that “the growth of the world depends on a strong U.S., so it really is going to depend on the U.S. delivering yet again another fiscal package, as well as having a much friendlier environment.”

The Atlanta Business Chronicle features an interview with one of the executives it named to the Atlanta Most Admired CEOs of 2020 list, Voya Investment Management CEO Christine Hurtsellers. When asked what “other CEOs do to win such great admiration from their stakeholders,” Hurtsellers responded that they should “set a course and communicate, communicate, communicate.” According to Hurtsellers, “This is especially true in difficult situations. People deal better with change and bad news when they understand the ‘why’ and the results. Remind them again and again. Go out of your way to cascade news in your words throughout the organization. Be honest and authentic, especially during the bad times.” According to Hurtsellers, leaders should “never forget that tough decisions often impact your employees and that’s where being candid comes in. Face to face, live communication through town halls is always better than a memo.” In addition, Hurstellers said that leaders “should make themselves ‘answer questions and realize that while not everyone will be happy or agree with the choices, if you are open and honest, they will at least respect the decisions that were made.’”

The Atlanta Business Chronicle reports that Voya Investment Management CEO Christine Hurtsellers is among the honorees included in the publication’s list of the “Most Admired CEOs” for 2020. Honorees included in the year’s list “faced a year of change like no other. Amid a pandemic, accompanying economic shutdown and social upheaval, they were able to effectively transmit vision, encouragement and hope to their teams across virtual streams of communication, keeping their companies moving forward.” A virtual event planned for December 10 will honor Hurtsellers and the other honorees.

Voya Global Advantage and Premium Opportunity Fund and Voya Infrastructure, Industrials and Materials Fund (the Funds) announced in a press release “important information concerning the Funds’ distributions declared in September 2020.” The press release was issued “as required by the Funds’ Managed Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) and an exemptive order received from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.” The Board of Trustees “has approved the implementation of the Plan to make quarterly cash distributions to common shareholders, stated in terms of a fixed amount per common share.”

MarketWatch reports that airlines are starting to use frequent flyer programs as “collateral for bondholders.” Airlines are making the pledges against their programs because they can generate cash by selling frequent flyer miles to credit card issuers, who, in turn “offer them as part of their reward programs to their customers.” The article says that “the revenues earned from selling the miles” to credit card issuers “are much higher than the cost of any flight travel redeemed by passengers.” Voya Investment Management Fixed Income Portfolio Manager Cliff Andrus said, “The customer doesn’t realize the margins are quite high.” According to the article, “Even with reduced demand for air travel, the mileage programs still hold their value.” Andrus said, “You’re going out to spend money on your credit card, whether or not you’re flying.” According to some analysts, using frequent flier programs as collateral “represents a desperate move by airlines that are looking for any assets that they can pledge.”

Pensions & Investments reports Voya spokesperson Kristopher Kagel confirmed that Voya Investment Management Managing Director and Head of Product Management and Development Bill Golden assumed Stephen Dougherty’s responsibilities as a managing director and head of structured assets and alternatives. Pensions & Investments mentions that “Dougherty was named global head of product at Aegon Asset Management.”