Ronald van Genderen

Sustainable investing has faced a challenging period since 2021, following years of seemingly unstoppable growth. While investor capital has continued to flow into sustainable funds, the pace has significantly slowed compared to the boom years.

With a loss of approximately 1 percent in euros during the fourth quarter, emerging markets ended 2024 on a slightly negative note. Although the year delivered a return of 14 percent, the emerging markets index lagged behind the global index, which achieved a return of 25 percent.

The African continent appears to generate little enthusiasm among investors. In fact, the total assets under management in African equity funds are so small that the survival of many funds is in question.

The European automotive sector is going through a challenging period. Troubling developments have put pressure on the stock prices of European car manufacturers, leading to a decline in their significance within the global equity market. This comes at a time when the weighting of the global automotive industry in the worldwide stock index is at its highest level in over two decades.

Interest in water funds, like sustainable investing more broadly, has recently waned among investors. This marks a departure from the peak during the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw significant inflows. Although there are more than 40 different funds in this category, only a few manage the majority of the assets.

Chinese stocks experienced an unprecedented rally in the final week of Q3. A series of unexpected stimulus measures pushed Chinese equities to their largest weekly rise in 15 years, supporting the outperformance of emerging markets compared to developed markets over the past three months.

Pharmaceutical companies were once known for their strong growth potential, but slowing revenue growth, lower valuations, and higher dividend yields have given them a more mixed profile in recent years. However, over the past three years, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have stood out by reclaiming their growth status.

US growth stocks had an excellent year in 2023. Although the Magnificent Seven pulled the cart, they were certainly not the only stocks to record a strong performance. And yet, despite the magnificent returns, investors seem wary and are now withdrawing money from funds investing in this market segment.

Leading up to 2020, Chinese equities dominated emerging markets, reaching nearly 40 percent of the index. However, the pandemic, government crackdowns, and economic slowdown have since halved their share.

Emerging markets excelled in the second quarter, driven by Taiwanese and Indian equities, despite Mexican setbacks. Ronald van Genderen concludes this edition of the Morningstar Fund Radar with insights on promising strategies like Robeco QI Emerging Conservative Equities.