June 30, 2025 | News

Beyond the Headlines: Investment Team Perspectives

William Blair News

General William Blair News

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Key Takeaways
  • Global tariff risks, inflation, and macroeconomic conditions remain top of mind for EM debt investors.
  • Innovative technologies like 3D woven composites are key to advancing lighter, more fuel-efficient, and durable aircraft for the next generation of aerospace and defense.
  • Ongoing supply-chain challenges in the industry are presenting opportunities for agile, execution-focused companies.
  • India’s renewable energy sector is evolving, with companies becoming more selective and focused on profitability as they pursue complex projects such as energy storage and hybrid systems.
  • Government-led auctions for green and biomass energy projects are expected to expand, creating significant opportunities for private investment and regional economic benefits.

Our investment teams routinely meet to assess global macroeconomic conditions and uncover investment opportunities across regions.

Below, we highlight recent insights from our investment teams—including our emerging markets (EM) debt team’s thoughts on global tariff risks, inflation trends, and political developments; innovations in aerospace and defense in the United States; and India’s accelerating push into renewable energy.

Global Outlook, Local Expertise: EM Debt Team Insights

Every quarter, our EM debt team gathers to discuss global market dynamics.

During the first quarter, the team “performed top-down analysis, assessing global market conditions, with global tariff risk, macroeconomic, and inflation outlook being the most important discussion topics,” says Clifford Lau, CFA, a portfolio manager on our EM debt team.

“Our team members from different regions also presented their bottom-up research and investment views so that all of us get to hear our deep-dive analysis on what’s the most topical investment themes within each EM region area search overage (ARC),” he continues. These themes include the election outlook, political development, and debt restructuring progress.

“Lastly, we invited external speakers from the sell side and our independent research partners, sharing their market views—this time around focusing on the U.S. and global political landscape, European rates, and the outlook on commodities and energy markets,” he concludes.

Opportunities in Aerospace and Defense Applications

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Jesse Fink, CFA, a research analyst on our U.S. value equity team, traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, to tour a facility involved in the research and development of 3D woven composite technologies for aerospace and defense applications.

“It’s technologies like these that are critical in making future generations of aircrafts lighter and more fuel-efficient, and also more durable,” says Jesse.

“While the supply-chain challenges in the aerospace and defense industry are well documented, it has creating opportunities for businesses like this one, who are both innovative and able to execute,” he concludes.

3D woven composite technologies are critical in making future generations of aircrafts lighter and more fuel-efficient.

India's Renewable Energy Evolution

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India’s growth story has been a key focus for our EM debt team.

Alexandra Symeonidi, CFA, a senior corporate credit and sustainability analyst on our EM debt team, traveled to Mumbai, India, where she gained insight into the country’s growing renewable energy sector and other green energy opportunities.

During the trip, she met with several companies within the sector. “While there is still an appetite for growth, these companies now are more selective in the projects they bid as they focus on profitability,” she says.

“Complex projects like energy storage, spun storage facilities, and wind/solar hybrids attract higher tariffs but also require larger initial investments and longer lead times to complete. The government is expected to continue to increase auctions for green energy and storage projects, which provides a big opportunity for the private sector,” she continues.

Alexandra concludes, “We believe there is also an incentive to launch more auctions in the biomass sector due to its benefits in the communities but also the regional economies.”

Indian renewable energy companies are more selective in the projects they bid as they focus on profitability.

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