Asset Manager

ING has brought all its investment expertise together in a newly established Global Investment Centre, effective 1 September. The unit is headed by Chris van Schuppen, who until this summer held senior roles at ABN Amro.

Sweden has encouraged 3.8 million households to start investing through a tax-friendly savings plan. Industry voices are calling on Europe to follow the Swedish example to help channel the 1,400 billion euro in household savings into investments.

What could hardly be considered a surprise anymore still turned into one. The annual revision of US job growth came in even bigger than expected. As anticipated, it triggered a flood of reactions—though often the wrong ones.

Pimco and Bluebay take different but equally sophisticated approaches to Euro bond investing, with both managers making active use of derivatives to steer portfolios, manage risk, and seize relative value opportunities. Their strategies highlight how synthetic instruments, often seen as opaque, can serve as powerful tools in fixed income investing.

What could hardly be considered a surprise anymore still turned into one. The annual revision of US job growth came in even bigger than expected. As anticipated, it triggered a flood of reactions—though often the wrong ones.

German retail investors put nearly all equity fund inflows into exchange-traded funds in the first half of the year, cementing the country’s role as Europe’s largest ETF market.

Since 8 August, Belgian taxpayers have been able to declare untaxed income and assets through a new procedure for fiscal regularisation

This week’s overview of people transfers and appointments includes updates from Marguerite, Quintet, CenterSquare and the European Investment Bank.

France’s government is adrift after Bayrou’s resignation, yet its bonds still draw buyers. Investors point to global tailwinds and deep liquidity, but warn that if sentiment turns, France could be hit harder than its peers.

European smallcaps have delivered significantly better results this year than their US counterparts. Yet smallcaps weighed on ING’s portfolio returns.