Expert Panel

Top rated firms come in all shapes and sizes. Colchester Global Investors and MFS Asset Management have different specialties and histories. Both stand out for their commitment to putting investors’ interests first. This earns them both a Morningstar Parent Pillar rating of High.

The US high yield bond market returned 7.4 percent for 2025 through October (per Morningstar’s US High Yield Bond Total Return USD Index), outpacing the leveraged loans market’s 4.9 percent return (Morningstar LSTA US Leverages Loans Total returns USD Index). This year’s underperformance stands out, due to several high-profile blowups such as Tricolor and First Brands.

Allocation managers overweighing eurozone stocks have done well so far this year while currency management and off-benchmark exposures like gold have also moved the needle for some. After withdrawals over the previous two calendar years, allocation funds in Europe saw modest inflows over the first three quarters of 2025.

Private equity has never lagged so far behind publicly listed equities in terms of returns. The asset class faces major challenges, including disappointing distributions, higher financing costs, and geopolitical uncertainty. Has private equity lost its shine, or is this just a temporary phase in a cyclical pattern?

During the third quarter of 2025, investors who assumed moderate credit and duration risk were rewarded, as the European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged at its July and September meetings, while the U.S. Federal Reserve cut rates once in September.

Legislation proposed by Luxembourg in October to enhance the regulatory framework for alternative investment funds and UCITS aims to provide greater flexibility and clarity. The Netherlands, meanwhile, is working on the implementation of AIFMD II.

Emerging-markets hard currency bonds have delivered positive returns for USD investors in every quarter of 2025. However, European-based investors faced negative returns in the first half of the year due to a stronger euro.

Artificial intelligence offers meaningful efficiency in withholding tax recovery, but expertise remains critical. Both elements can (and must) work together.

Equity markets in emerging countries extended their strong performance from the first six months of 2025 into the third quarter, led by heavyweight China, as well as Colombia, Egypt, Peru, Thailand, and South Africa.

Exceptional investment strategies are rare, as reflected in Morningstar’s qualitative fund ratings. Fewer than 6 percent of actively managed funds qualitatively assessed by Morningstar analysts in Europe achieve a High score on both the People and Process pillars, placing them in the highest conviction category.