Asset Manager

For more than eighty years, Europe has been protected under the security umbrella of the United States. Now, as negotiations take place regarding the war in Europe without the involvement of Ukraine or any other European nations, Europe is forced to adopt an independent stance both politically and militarily.

Long the dominant force in Europe’s cross-border fund industry, Luxembourg is now pivoting towards alternative investments as the asset management landscape shifts.

Investors, once emboldened by the so-called ‘Trump trades’ - long U.S. dollar, short U.S. government bonds, and overweight anything American - are now struggling to identify the next structural theme. The big uncertainty: tariffs.

At the edge of the abyss, the most beautiful flowers bloom. According to Sebastian Kahlfeld, senior fund manager at Deutsche Asset Management (DWS), Poland, Ukraine’s neighbouring country, offers a proxy opportunity to invest in Ukraine’s reconstruction.

Sustainable investing has faced a challenging period since 2021, following years of seemingly unstoppable growth. While investor capital has continued to flow into sustainable funds, the pace has significantly slowed compared to the boom years.

The gold price has already risen by more than 40 percent in a year. Private banks are not deterred by this significant price increase from designating the precious metal as the ideal hedge against geopolitical turbulence in the Trump II era.

Separate moves by Swiss-based EFG and Edmond de Rothschild highlight the intensifying competition among firms seeking scale and specialisation in a rapidly evolving sector.

This week’s update on executive moves in and around Luxembourg includes senior appointments at Edmond de Rothschild, P1 Investment Services, EFG International, and Blackrock, alongside key promotions at Marguerite and Colesco Capital.

Around 60 million Germans are eligible to vote in Sunday’s national parliamentary elections. For decades, German elections have been predictable and uneventful, but this time, much more is at stake—far beyond just the composition of the Bundestag.

The Bund in Shanghai is a one-and-a-half-kilometre waterfront promenade along the Yellow River. With its luxury restaurants and Italian racing cars, the view of Pudong from Bar Rouge on the Bund resembles the capitalist pinnacle of the communist utopia.