Jurgen Vluijmans

In the medium term, the green transition may further fuel inflationary risks, according to ECB board member Isabel Schnabel in an interview with the Financial Times last weekend. Rising energy prices, she said, may require the ECB to do more to hold back increases. She urged portfolios to increase their investments into real assets. 

So goes January, so goes the year, it is sometimes said. If so, Mr Market has decided that the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us. This has investment implications: the long duration narrative will fade into the background, and “real economy” stocks will outperform again.

The conglomerate of conglomerates, Berkshire Hathaway, has been staging a strong rally in recent weeks. Warren Buffett’s vehicle has risen sharply on the back of its substantial position in Apple, which recently passed the $3 trillion mark. But there is more to it.

European equities are very attractive right now with a risk premium of around 7 per cent. To navigate in this environment, a barbell strategy between long and short duration equities is appropriate. In this way, one can intelligently combine growth and value.

The current inflation surge is similar to the one after World War II. It then took two years for inflation to cool. Long-term interest rates should start to rise, according to the online Outlook 2022 conference organised by Candriam. Anton Brender and Florence Pisani, both economists, conducted the webinar.

Real assets like stocks and real estate are expensive but remain a way to maintain purchasing power. And inflation will remain high. This is BNP Paribas’ outlook as explained by Philippe Gijsels, chief strategist, and Koen De Leus, chief economist.

The base case for AG is one of “normalisation of the economy”, moving from a recovering economy to strong GDP growth, rising purchasing power and increased investment, while keeping admittedly higher inflation under control, according to the 2022 Outlook hosted online by AG Insurance and hosted by chief strategist Olivier Colsoul (pictured) and CIO Wim Vermeir.

Hugo Lasat has been officially appointed as the new CEO of Degroof Petercam, succeeding Bruno Colmant, who will focus on the private banking activities, thanks to a regulatory green light. With the appointment of Lasat, who led DPAM’s institutional activities for ten years, continuity is assured. The focus is on stronger branding and further internationalisation.

The modern bank and insurance broker can to a large extent fill the gap left by the major banks. He can do this by giving personal advice to his clients and fully mapping out their financial situation. Digitalisation also plays an important role in this.

This emerged from an interview with Marc Dhondt (photo), the Belgian representative of the Luxembourg life insurance company OneLife, as part of the BZB congress that was held on 21 October. 

In the financial sector, less than 30 percent of all executive positions are held by women. In terms of gender equality, therefore, there is still room for improvement. Women in Finance, an initiative launched in 2018 by Febelfin, brings together ladies who want to change that, and with success.

The asset allocation of an insurer is different from that of a traditional asset manager or private bank. On the one hand, there are the provisions imposed by the regulator and, on the other, the long-term obligations. Low yields on government bonds are also a challenge for AG Insurance, explained Olivier Colsoul (pictured), Senior Strategist at AG Insurance. This is countered by strategically increasing the equity weighting and adding alternative asset classes, he explained.