Asset Manager

The unexpected re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States delivered an immediate shake-up on Wall Street Wednesday, creating clear winners and losers across sectors. Small-cap stocks surged while renewable energy and long-term bonds took a significant hit, reflecting investor expectations of a shift in economic and regulatory policies.

This week’s overview of transfers and appointments in the fund and asset management community in and outside Luxembourg includes updates from Carmignac, CMS Luxembourg, and Mainstreet Partners.

Martin Groos unpacks the journey of the European Long-Term Investment Fund (Eltif) since its promising launch in 2015, and explores whether recent reforms under “Eltif 2.0” will finally deliver success.

Financial markets are reacting with both trepidation and anticipation to Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 US presidential election. The so-called ‘Red Sweep,’ which also sees Republicans take control of Congress, has investors bracing for substantial shifts in the US economic and political agenda.

UBS Asset Management has expanded its digital asset capabilities with the launch of the “UBS USD Money Market Investment Fund Token” (uMINT), a tokenised money market product built on Ethereum’s distributed ledger.

Growing signals suggest the Republicans could clinch a victory in today’s elections, a scenario generally regarded as optimal for investors. A Republican Sweep would mean lower taxes, deregulation, and increased government spending. However, the gap between the Republicans and Democrats remains too narrow to confidently predict a winner, raising the likelihood of a contentious, potentially escalating dispute over the results.

Luxembourg’s financial regulator CSSF has delivered a sharp warning to the country’s Investment Fund Managers (IFMs) regarding weaknesses in oversight practices when delegating portfolio management. The CSSF’s latest review highlights specific shortcomings, particularly in conflict of interest management and contingency planning, that could expose IFMs to regulatory risk and potential operational failures.

Flexible allocation funds typically have broad latitude to adjust their asset allocation. Additionally, their managers have the freedom to add alternative asset classes to the mix, with gold being a well-known option.

This week’s overview of industry appointments in and outside Luxembourg includes updates from State Street, Vistra, RBC Bluebay Asset Management, and Cyberr.