Investment Officer

Institutional investors expect greater transparency when investing in alternative assets, mostly with risk management in mind, according to a new survey by Clearwater Analytics.

According to a poll of 254 institutional investors, representing over $10 trillion in assets under management, the two key benefits to achieving greater transparency in alts should be better risk management (72 per cent) and a better understanding of performance (54 per cent).  

Etienne Rougier has been appointed as Chief Operating Officer at Universal Investment Group. He joins from Alliance Bernstein. As of this week he is responsible for driving and transforming the business to support its overall growth strategy. 

Decarbonisation is a trend expected to continue among investors during the coming years. One out of 10 fund selectors in Europe is already completely avoiding so-called “carbon emitters” or traditional carbon-emitting energy companies. Twice as many plan to do so in the next two to three years.  

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen can no longer ignore the fact that the dollar is used as a weapon to quash unwanted behaviour by rivals. It comes with risks of national interest. Imposing financial sanctions linked to the dollar’s role could eventually undermine the dollar’s hegemony, she said.

A total of 30 new Reserved Alternative Investment Funds, or Raifs, were added to the Luxembourg Business Register during March 2023, down from 40 in the same month a year earlier. During the first quarter, 15 percent fewer Raifs were registered than in the same period last year.

As inflation has started to normalise, many market observers have started to find bond markets attractive again. Yields have risen to their highest levels in over a decade. Corporate debt has recovered, making bond investors comfortable after years of bad returns.

As many as 70% of the ETFs touted as the most sustainable in their class by the fund companies that offered them have been downgraded in one year. Rather than aiming for sustainable investment, passive funds were found to incorporate only one ESG factor.

Alternative investments strategies relying on limited bank financing appear to be well-placed to profit from the current crisis of confidence in the banking sector. And despite EU regulatory measures to deal with greenwashing, ESG products are seeing increased demand.

Tensions in the banking sector increase the likelihood of a recession during the year, according to chief investment officer Guy Wagner at asset manager BLI - Banque de Luxembourg Investments.

Nevertheless, prior to the onset of the banking turmoil, the resilience of the global economy was still in evidence, with service activities continuing to benefit from robust household demand due to continued full employment in most countries, Wagner and his team said in their latest monthly market report.

Luxembourg’s financial supervisor CSSF on Monday said it expects managers of Liability Driven Investment funds, also known as LDI funds, to maintain yield buffers set last year at levels introduced to make these funds resilient to the UK Gilts crisis.