Investment Officer

Russia’s attack on Ukraine on 24 February this year is a “turning point and a milestone in European history. Its impact is enormous. No policy area remains unaffected.” So said Steven Van Hecke, professor of international relations at the KU Leuven university on Thursday at Investment Officer’s Portfolio Day in Brussels. 

Mutual funds saw net outflows last month at a rate of more than one billion euro per day, while firms selling Exchange Traded Funds experienced a small level of net inflows, according to new data from Refinitiv Lipper. 

Mutual funds experienced net outflows of 32.3 billion euro last month, compared to net inflows of 2.5 billion for Exchange Traded Funds.

Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance has chosen asset management firm Schroders and its impact investment unit BlueOrchard as industry partners for a new climate action partnership. Schroders will serve as the management company for the finance ministry.

BlueOrchard has been appointed as the investment manager for this climate impact strategy, the firm said in a 16 June press release announcing that it had won an international tender process.

JP Morgan Asset Management and Pictet separately announced the launch on Tuesday of new climate change solutions funds. Both funds seek to invest in companies that have aligned their products and services with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, known as the SDGs.

Luxembourg’s financial supervisor CSSF on Monday ordered alternative investment managers to exclusively use a new ePassporting module in its eDesk electronic reporting portal to share notifications for the marketing of investment products registered in the Grand Duchy.

Net assets of worldwide investment funds decreased by 2.5 percent in the first quarter as the decline in the United States and Europe was only partly offset by net inflows in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the latest International Statistical Release published by the European Fund and Asset Management Association, known as Efama. Bond and money market saw strong net outflows during the first three months, although China bucked the with rising inflows for money market funds.

The US central bank on Wednesday evening announced t that it would raise the benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points to cushion rising inflation. Earlier this week, the Fed already indicated to markets that it would do so. Economists and analysts last week were still expecting a 50 bp increase. The bigger-than-expected hike increases the chances of a recession in the United States.

Following an emergency meeting of its governing council, the European Central Bank on Wednesday said it will bring forward its plans to create a new instrument that will prevent fragmentation between the 19 economies in the eurozone.

Firms promoting Exchange Traded Funds in Europe have reported 2.5 billion euro in net inflows for last month, despite a persistently difficult market environment, market research firm Refinitiv Lipper said on Tuesday. The inflows remain “far below” the 12-month rolling average of 11.5 billion euro per month.

Members of the European Parliament on Tuesday rejected a proposal by the European Commission to treat nuclear energy and natural gas as sustainable economic activities. If the vote is confirmed by absolute majority in the July 7 plenary meeting, the Commission’s proposal to update the EU taxonomy for sustainable activities will be sent back to the drawing board.