Asset Manager

Anyone following geopolitical tensions, the noise around China and the ongoing turmoil coming out of Washington might expect investors to turn defensive. The opposite emerged at the CIO panel during the Investment Officer New Year’s Perspectives 2026 in Amsterdam on Thursday. Chief investment officers from ING, Van Lanschot Kempen, ABN Amro and Rabobank are not retreating, but positioning with intent. Their shared view was that the greatest risk is not geopolitics itself, but investment decisions driven by fear. That perspective ran through the discussion.

Emerging markets outperformed developed markets in 2025 for the first time since 2017, driven largely by strong AI and tech gains in South Korea. This week Morningstar compares the Robeco Emerging Stars Equities fund with the Cullen Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund.

With the subpoena of Jerome Powell, political pressure on the Federal Reserve has taken on a legal dimension. The timing is striking: Powell’s term still has months to run, yet the White House is pressing ahead now. The stakes extend well beyond the fate of the Fed chair himself.

This week’s overview of appointments and transfers in Luxembourg and elsewhere in Europe.

The product classification in the revised SFDR does not allow for any ‘shades of green’. That is regrettable, because precisely such labels would make investment choices clearer for investors.

President Donald Trump’s call to cap U.S. credit card interest rates at 10 percent is weighing on bank stocks and raising broader concerns about consumer credit and confidence.

Despite a strong rally over the past year, the Brazilian equity market remains undervalued. Experts say that discount could evaporate quickly if interest rates fall.

The US Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. Officially, the case concerns the renovation of government office buildings in Washington. No one should pretend to be naive enough to take that explanation at face value.

Sebastiaan Hooghiemstra and Marco Loria analyse fresh EU guidance on ELTIF passporting, arguing it dismantles national barriers and could unlock pan-European distribution through insurance, pension and savings wrappers.

Where China and India set the pace in emerging markets for many years, investors are increasingly broadening their focus towards emerging Europe and Latin America. At the same time, a hard pivot to ex-China funds has proved risky, particularly because of timing.