Opinion

It took a little longer than expected, but the delayed US inflation figure for October came in just slightly below expectations. That means that, by the time this column is published, the Federal Reserve will have cut interest rates by another quarter point, and—unless something strange happens—another quarter point cut will follow in December.

Het was herfstvakantie in oktober en dat betekende onder meer dat er nogal wat vakantiegangers de grote plas overstaken om een bezoek te brengen aan New York. Een van de voordelen was dat shoppen in de Big Apple een stuk goedkoper was dan begint dit jaar.

The bulk of US economic growth this year can be attributed to data centers. But what will all that infrastructure be worth once chips arrive that are a hundred times more energy-efficient than today’s models?

The title of this column is the Chinese word for “mirage” or “illusion.” Hot air, in other words. Just like the impressive Chinese growth figure that was proudly announced this week.

Last week, the French government survived two motions of no confidence, mainly by promising not to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 for the time being. For S&P, however, this was reason enough to downgrade France’s credit rating from AA- to A+. It may seem like a minor detail, but for managers of fixed income funds that require at least AA-rated investments, it created an immediate problem. Did all those French government bonds suddenly need to be dumped?

Asian investors are turning to Luxembourg as their preferred gateway to global private markets. The flows are quiet but transformative.

The word is out! Fed Chair Jay Powell is considering stopping the reduction of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. If you think that balance sheet has slimmed down significantly after three years of quantitative tightening, you’re mistaken. Moreover, Powell is putting himself in an impossible position once again by lowering interest rates at the same time.

A groundbreaking study shows that “superstar cities” systematically lag in total returns — a crucial insight for valuing REITs (real estate investment trusts). The explanation lies in lower rental yields and surprisingly low risk, which fundamentally changes how future cash flows should be assessed.

The recent developments in the Middle East make one thing absolutely clear: president Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the logical conclusion if we look at what the prize is supposed to reward: concrete peace achievements that save lives.

The public markets are shrinking, but private capital is booming, and Luxembourg is quietly building the exchange of the future.