Expert Panel

ESMA’s guidelines for fund names are now in force. Is your fund truly compliant? Or is it risking regulatory attention?

Morningstar this week looks at euro corporate bond funds and compares Janus Henderson with Invesco. After tariff tensions rattled markets, fund managers remain cautiously positioned in defensive sectors despite temporary relief.

“Diversification is the only free lunch in investing,” said Harry M. Markowitz, the father of modern portfolio theory. He referred to the idea that broad diversification is likely the best way to limit portfolio risk without sacrificing returns.

Luxembourg’s financial sector is recruiting Belgian talent from the local market or trying to lure them to the Grand Duchy. Although Luxembourg remains the top destination for Belgians seeking to work abroad, the number of those actually doing so has stagnated.

Standardized tax recovery processes often miss non-routine events, such as spin-offs. The Vivendi case highlights why fund managers should actively review all forms of cross-border withholding tax exposure.

After years of underperformance, European equities are finally stepping out of the shadow of their U.S. counterparts in 2025. Investors began the year skeptical about Europe, but sentiment shifted—thanks in part to a German proposal to invest heavily in infrastructure and defense.

Emerging-market corporate bonds slumped in early 2025, yet analyst-rated strategies from Loomis Sayles and Ninety One stand out for experienced teams, disciplined risk-taking, and distinct approaches amid rising global uncertainty.

The US economy contracted at a rate of 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025. The slowdown in GDP growth was driven by a surge in imports, as US firms attempted to front-run tariffs. The first-quarter decline marks a sharp turn for the economy after GDP grew at a 2.4 percent annual rate in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Sustainable investing has been under pressure for some time, not least due to the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump. This shift in sentiment has also hit ecology funds hard.

Morningstar’s flexible allocation category includes a diverse group of funds with largely unconstrained mandates. These strategies typically have significant leeway to adjust weightings between equities and bonds and to incorporate alternative asset classes into the mix. Private markets have recently garnered more attention, and the rally in gold hasn’t gone unnoticed by investors either.