What happens when the league’s top-scoring offence meets the league’s stingiest defence in the biggest game of the year?
You need only ask the Denver Broncos, who found themselves in that situation two short seasons ago. Their answer: defence wins.
That answer did not benefit Denver, though. The 2013 Broncos led the league with 37.9 points per game but had the unfortunate task of meeting a generationally great Seattle defence that allowed only 14.4 points per game.
Denver lost to Seattle 43-8 in Super Bowl 48.
See more: Super Bowl 50 – The National's preview coverage and analysis
Two years later, the Broncos are back in the title game, but this time it was not due to their scoring; it was their league-best defence that allowed a mere 18.5 points per game.
The offence, though still led by Peyton Manning, is now an afterthought.
Fittingly, the Carolina Panthers counter with the NFL’s top-scoring attack (31.2 points per game), one that has put up points in bunches in play-off wins over Seattle and Arizona.
There should be no reason to think Cam Newton and company slow down on Sunday night.
But Carolina have not seen a defence – or, especially, a pass-rush – as good as Denver’s, and that is the reason I think the tested Broncos will pull off an upset.
The best defences Carolina saw this season were in Week 2, at home against the Houston Texans, and Week 6 at Seattle.
Carolina won both games, but Newton had two of his least productive days. The rest of the Panthers’ schedule is littered with wins against awful defences such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, the New Orleans Saints (twice), the Atlanta Falcons (twice) and the league-worst New York Giants, who almost beat Carolina.
The Broncos are in their second Super Bowl in three years with many of the same names, but as a completely different team. They know better than any side that defence wins titles – they saw it first-hand from the wrong sideline.
Of course, Carolina have a good defence of their own, but I trust Manning’s experience and savvy in dealing with what the Panthers will throw at him.
Newton’s season is one for the ages and he will be a the deserved MVP winner. But Denver’s experience and ruthless pass-rush will win the day.
kjeffers@thenational.ae
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
