Industries in Motion

2023 was a good year for UK banks, however the outlook for 2024 is more uncertain. In todays podcast we discus some of the key trends which we expect to materialise for UK banks through this year, with a particular focus on the structural hedge.

In this episode, Greg Pardy (Head of Global Energy Research, Canadian Senior E&P & Integrated Oil Analyst), Scott Hanold (Managing Director, US E&P Analyst) and Biraj Borkhataria (Head of Global Energy Transition Research, Euro & US Integrated Oil Analyst) join Graeme Pearson (Co-Head of Global Research) to discuss themes in M&A and capital allocation amongst global energy producers. M&A activity amongst energy producers is always a wildcard, but the recent tidal wave of consolidation activity unfolding in the United States is like a fever that has yet to run its course. Fortified balance sheets are the strongest we’ve seen in over a decade, with net debt at the end of 2023 about one-half that seen in 2020 during the pandemic, as energy producers globally have embraced a new model fusing financial resiliency with shareholder returns. This has also opened the door to intensified M&A activity via increased funding capacity. US deals appear aimed at achieving quality scale, a lower cost of capital, overhead cost savings, and bolstering resource depth or enhancing portfolio diversification. The European majors could be buyers of US natural gas resources to rebalance LNG commitments. The next inflection point in this chapter could also involve M&A in Canada’s Montney play.

In this episode, Maurice Choy (Canadian Energy Infrastructure Analyst), Andrew Wong (Uranium & Fertilizers Analyst), Sara Mahaffy (ESG Strategist) and Robert Kwan (Head of Global Power, Utilities & Infrastructure Research) at RBC Capital Markets discuss our outlook for long-term growth in the nuclear energy industry, the path forward to address previous challenges, the political and regulatory landscape, ESG perspectives, and the outlook and exposure to nuclear energy across regions and sectors. We have taken a global and cross-sector approach in reviewing the nuclear energy value chain in collaboration with our global team of Energy Infrastructure, Industrials, Mining & Materials and ESG analysts and strategists. We believe that nuclear energy generation capacity is well-positioned to grow in North America and Europe over the long term, supporting countries' energy transition objectives by being a source of reliable and non-emitting baseload power for decades as well as being an industry that countries can develop to deliver stronger economic growth. The vast challenge to deliver net zero by 2050 suggests to us that an “all of the above” approach must be taken, and that will not only benefit renewables (e.g., wind, solar, hydro) and carbon abatement technologies (e.g., CCUS, hydrogen), but also nuclear energy. We sense that certain countries are progressively valuing the benefits of nuclear energy and are justifiably giving support to the technology, ultimately leading to this industry becoming increasingly ESG-friendly and investable over the long run.

In this episode of the Industries in Motion podcast we are joined by members of our Global Banks team, with Gerard Cassidy and Jon Arfstrom from the US, Anke Reingen and Benjamin Toms from the UK, and Darko Mihelic from Canada, to discuss the key themes and risks they feel will be most relevant to their regions in 2024. On the back of an eventful year for US banking, Gerard and Jon have a broadly bullish tilt, supported by their view that the terminal rate for Federal Funds will be reached and that the U.S. economy will experience a soft landing. In the EU, Anke does not expect that higher interest rates will be the tailwind that we saw in 2023, with valuations and returns more likely to be in focus. In the UK, while slower UK growth is a risk, Ben believes the macro-economic environment will be supportive for higher UK bank valuations in 2024 (although not to the same extent as in the EU).

The electric vehicle charging network in the U.S. has a long road to travel between now and 2030, according to RBC clean energy analyst, Chris Dendrinos. In the latest episode of Industries in Motion, Dendrinos outlined the sometimes-surprising findings of his detailed primer on the future of EV charging infrastructure.

In this episode of the Industries in Motion podcast, Victoria McCulloch (Energy Services Analyst) discusses with Peter Dawkins (European Research Product Manager), the growth in carbon capture in Europe and the US. We discuss the pace of adoption as well as the dominant technologies and fiscal policies which are helping accelerate carbon capture in Europe and the US. We see carbon capture for utilisation and storage as a vital decarbonisation technology which many governments are expected to deploy to meet their net zero targets, as discussed in our recent research notes.

Join Head of US Capital Markets Research, Mark Odendahl and biotech analysts Brian Abrahams and Gregory Renza, as they explore the dynamic biotech sector landscape in H2 2023.

In this episode of the Industries in Motion podcast, Greg Pardy, Managing Director and Head of Global Energy Research, Robert Kwan, Managing Director and Canadian Energy Infrastructure Analyst, and Andre-Philippe Hardy, Head of Canadian & Asia-Pacific Research at RBC Capital Markets, discuss the Canadian government’s Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX), which is slated to be in service during the first quarter of 2024. We expect this pipeline expansion to transform Canada’s oil egress and give oil sands producers in Canada greater export access to global markets, including Asia.

RBC Capital Markets' aerospace and defense analyst Ken Herbert explores how Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are rebalancing their supply chains as the industry experiences increased demand, both from passengers and in the thriving aftermarket.

In a context of investor anxiety around the longer-term disruptive impact of AI, RBC Capital Markets’ Equity Research Team have developed a unique AI-disruption framework, which reveals the extent to which AI could alter the CX landscape over the longer term.

Tom Narayan, Lead Equity Analyst, Global Autos, RBC Capital Markets explores the latest RBC Imagine™ report, Autobots Roll Out! Tesla’s Autonomy Future and examines the strategies OEMs need to win the long race to autonomous driving.

Mark Odendahl, Head of US Capital Markets is joined by Dan Perlin, Head of FinTech and Payments Research, RBC Capital Markets, to explore the priorities of fintech companies following this year’s successful Financial Technology Conference.

Mark Odendahl, Head of US Capital Markets Research, and Matt Hedberg, Managing Director and Software Research Analyst, discuss the key trends impacting private technology companies.

In this episode, RBC Capital Markets’ Rishi Jaluria, Managing Director of Software Equity Research and Brad Erickson, Internet Equity Analyst, bring us up to speed on the internet’s biggest disruptor: ChatGPT. How will generative AI impact the tech sector - and society at large?

In this episode, RBC Capital Markets’ Sean Dodge, Equity Analyst in Healthcare Services, discusses some key insights from RBC’s first private Healthcare IT conference, including the accelerated transition to value-based care and the integral role of HCIT in the future of US healthcare.

Mark Odendahl, Head of US Equity Research, and Brian Abrahams, Head of Biotechnology at RBC Capital Markets have a discussion on how website traffic uncovers insights into the sales of leading biopharmaceutical drugs.

In this episode of the Industries in Motion podcast, Drew McReynolds, Managing Director and Telecommunications & Media Analyst, and Andre-Philippe Hardy, Head of Canadian & APAC Research at RBC Capital Markets, examine what will be a new competitive and regulatory landscape for Canadian telecom companies following the recent merger of Rogers and Shaw and the sale of Freedom Mobile to Quebecor.

In this episode of the Industries in Motion video podcast, Gordon Aitken (Head of European Insurance Research) discusses with Peter Dawkins (European Research Product Manager) why insurers and banks are fundamentally different and how the circumstances which caused the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) simply could not occur at an insurer.

RBC Capital Markets’ Equity Research team has reduced 2023/2024 Auto OEM estimates below consensus on price normalization, arguing this could start to happen in H2/23. RBC is also increasingly cautious on tires given a softening replacement market but mildly positive on trucks.

Greg Pardy, Head of Global Energy Research at RBC Capital Markets, discusses with the Head of Canada and APAC Research, Andre-Philippe Hardy, initiatives to decarbonize the oil sands, as featured in the recent RBC ESG Stratify™ report: Pathways Alliance—Steering the Future. The podcast explores Canada’s Pathways Alliance, how it will work, timing, cost and why it is unique globally. The oil sands were a game changer for Canada—and Pathways could be just as big. We know of no other jurisdiction in the world where a half-dozen leading producers have chosen to collaborate with a comprehensive goal of net zero scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 2050.