Jeroen Boogaard

The Sustainable Development Investments Asset Owner Platform, known as SDI AOP, offers the opportunity to standardise SDG impact measurement and develop a broad benchmark for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“The platform can become a global standard for SDG investing,” said Manuela Sperandeo, Head of Sustainable Indexing for EMEA at BlackRock, in conversation with Investment Officer. 

It is a good moment for investors to green their bond portfolios. The asset class is considered attractive after the rise in interest rates in recent months and the increased risk premiums stemming from the Ukraine war, Johann Plé, senior fund manager fixed income at AXA Investment Managers, told InvestmentOfficer. 

As in the sovereign and corporate bond markets, private debt valuations have risen sharply. “However, by focusing on the lower end of the middle market, we have been able to maintain spreads,” said  David Bouchoucha, CIO of Private Debt and Real Assets at BNP Paribas Asset Management, in conversation with Fondsnieuws, Investment Officer Luxembourg’s sister publication.

As governments and central banks wind down their support programmes, more corporate defaults and restructurings will follow. For distressed debt investors, a particularly attractive return of 15 per cent per annum is in store.

Investing in green property not only has social added-value, but also reduces the financial risk in the property portfolio. Experts warn that outdated, non-sustainable buildings are in danger of becoming unlettable. 

“As corporate profits are rising much faster than expected, high valuations in the equity market are falling fast. Equities therefore remain attractive,” said Natasha Ebtehadj, global equities portfolio manager at Columbia Threadneedle, in a recent conversation with Fondsnieuws, Investment Officer Luxembourg’s sister publication.

The Mint Tower Arbitrage Fund aims for a positive absolute return under all market conditions, and has managed to do so since its inception. This makes the hedge fund an ideal shock absorber in investment portfolios. 

This is what partner Marcel Voogel (photo, left) and head of investor relations Bart Bijmolen (photo, right) of Mint Tower Capital Management said in conversation with Fondsnieuws, Investment Officer Luxembourg’s sister publication.

Green indices reduce the carbon footprint of investment portfolios, but their added value is currently limited in terms of managing the financial risks of climate change. Only in the event of a disorderly climate transition would there any demonstrable outperformance.  

The US asset manager expects inflation to be slightly below 2% for developed economies over the next 10-15 years, despite the unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus. ‘We expect a lot of volatility in the short term, with inflation possibly temporarily exceeding central bank targets. But in the medium term, we will return to the pre-pandemic structural trends,’ says Vincent Juvyns, macro strategist at JP Morgan AM. 

Disruption is wiping out entire sectors and companies. While winners are hard to predict, using megatrends such as digitalisation and ageing to identify the losers in advance is the best approach, says Henk Grootveld, head of trend investing at Lombard Odier IM.