Investment Officer

Chances of a real turn in short-term interest rate policy seem to have been squandered since yesterday. According to specialists at Aegon AM, PGIM and T. Rowe Price, interest rates will remain high for several more quarters. A quick reversal in interest rate policy is unlikely. So is an early return to “normal” .

Following regulatory approval, Apex Group has completed its acquisition of Darwin Depositary Services, an Amsterdam-based provider of depositary services to alternative investment funds, the company announced this morning. Financial details were not disclosed.

While equities will remain a dominant feature of sustainable investment portfolios, multi-asset and alternative strategies are expected to gain ground in the coming years. A new survey conducted among European investors shows that they expect their allocation to equities will decrease by two percent over the next five years, while their allocation to multi-asset and alternative funds will rise by two percent.

Samuel Kuborn is joining investor services firm IQ-EQ in a new role of regional chief operating officer, continental Europe, the firm announced on Wednesday.

Apex Group, a global financial services company with a major presence in Luxembourg, said on Wednesday that it has closed its acquisition of Implemented Investment Solutions, or IIS, and InvestNow in New Zealand.  Financial details were not disclosed.

Following Apex Group’s entry into the New Zealand market with the recent addition of MMC, the acquisitions of IIS and InvestNow further expand Apex Group’s presence in New Zealand and Australia to over 500 employees.

Stefano Amato has joined M&G Investments as a senior fund manager in the multi asset team. Amato, who joins from Santander, will co-manage the 1.1 billion euro M&G (Lux)  Income Allocation Fund alongside Steven Andrew to whom he will report. 

Luxembourg financial supervisor CSSF, a long-time ally for Luxembourg’s booming fund industry, is drawing reluctant criticism from some people in the sector over its recently announced initiative to review pricing mechanisms for Ucits and AIF investment funds. Responding to press questions in this context, the finance ministry signalled that “certain features” of Luxembourg’s fund legislation will be modernised “in the near future”.

Dublin-based third-party management company Waystone on Tuesday said that it has closed its acquisition of Irish fund management services firm KB Associates in a transaction that makes it Ireland’s largest management company for Ucits funds.

As a result of the transaction, Waystone said it will welcome on board 90 new team members and will now support European management company assets exceeding 300 billion dollars. 

Morningstar and Investment Officer Luxembourg invite you to join us online on Thursday 1 December 2022 at 15 CET for the “Good Practices in ESG Reporting” interactive online debate. 

A panel of sustainable finance experts from financial institutions and authorities in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg will debate good practices in ESG reporting for investors and asset managers. 
 

Despite ominous forecasts, the German stock market is also participating unhindered in the rally that most markets saw in October. The DAX index rose 8.4 per cent last month.  This is striking, as virtually all indicators point to a very bleak outlook for the eurozone’s largest economy. Is the German economic model faltering?