Max Severijns

For those looking to make an impact investment without the pain of market corrections, the solution can be simple: Buy the best-in-class, short the villains, and keep the portfolio neutral. 

Earlier this month, the European Securities and Markets Authority, Esma, warned of further corrections in the stock market. Esma chair Verena Ross said the resilience of the financial system was being tested by “fragile liquidity”. The warning proved justified.

He is the New York Stock Exchange’s most photographed trader, also known as the “Einstein of Wall Street” on Instagram. Speaking to Investment Officer, veteran floor trader Peter Tuchman talks about the game changer in his profession: the new generation of investors.

Economists at PGIM Fixed Income have suggested converting Ukraine’s dire debt obligations into new debt. These so-called “freedom bonds” could be backed by frozen Russian assets, according to the bond house. Such a proposal would receive great interest in Luxembourg, home to about one third of Russian assets frozen in the EU.

The euro saw a 20-year low against the US dollar in 2022. With the ECB catching up with the Federal Reserve, investors are counting on a comeback for the European currency. Currency specialists, however, are divided.

German judges handed down an important verdict this week: EU treaties are no obstacle to shared debt in the union. The ruling comes shortly after the European Commission called for new joint injections into the economy. “As an investor I would carefully reconsider my bond portfolio,” one critic warns.

On Tuesday, the German constitutional court in Karlsruhe ruled that “exceptional” EU loans to overcome problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic do not violate European treaties.

Chinese stocks are in a sell-off following Xi Jinping’s power grab. “Tighter state control of the Chinese economy warrants a higher risk premium.”

As real estate markets worldwide move in tandem by showing clear signs of a downturn, two major international financial bodies this week have reiterated their concerns over the housing market’s potential impact on financial stability. Both the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund have raised a red flag. Investment Officer looks for answers to some key questions a moment that mortgage rates are at their highest since 2006.

Many investors are on the fence about re-entering the badly battered bond market when the bottom may be near. The smart ones will want to enter the market well before interest rates hit their peak, says Michael Gitlin, partner and head of fixed income at Capital Group.

US stocks appear to have entered the ‘final stages’ of a bear market. But the final low for the S&P 500 is seen around the 3000 to 3400 point level, which would represent a drop of another 16 per cent from last week’s close. Current conditions are such that financial accidents can easily happen, some market watchers warn.

Panic appears to rule the world’s most liquid financial market, the foreign exchange market. The Bank of England had to announce emergency measures on Wednesday to stop the pound’s dump. Behind the panic is a systemic crisis: a dramatic fall in European currencies against the dollar, an analysis shows.

Not only the pound, but also the euro has been failing against the dollar for more than a year. Falling currencies are eating into investors’ returns and specialists believe that their devaluation against the dollar will not bottom out for the time being.