Jurgen Vluijmans

Chahine Capital’s macroeconomic analysis shows that European equities and value are now the most attractive in this cycle. The European risk premium is particularly high. Italian equities have strong rationing potential.

This emerged from an interview with Julien Bernier (chief investment officer) (photo) of Chahine Capital. Among other things, the Luxembourg-based manager will use macroeconomic analysis to define four distinctive pillars, namely economic momentum, monetary policy, valuation and a behavioural component. 

It is very difficult to apply ESG criteria consistently to purely passive investments. Active investments lend themselves much better to this. It is easier to apply an integration approach that goes beyond exclusions in active management. In the end, it is all about the client’s profile, which has to match the risk/reward profile of a fund or strategy and the client’s sustainability preferences. 

The 10-year and 30-year US yields are pushing towards the top of their trend channels. These interest rates are all-important for the further evolution of long-duration assets. 2 per cent on the 10-year segment seems to be a breaking point. A barbell strategy between value and growth may offer a solution.

Deutsche Bank Belgium aims to position itself as a global player and to expand further in the private & wealth management segment. Local presence is important. The distinguishing factor compared to other private banks and wealth managers is that Deutsche Bank Belgium focuses primarily on investment advice and support, including for small portfolios. The standard discretionary management of the competition is definitely not the strategy pursued.

The bar for sustainability criteria is rapidly being raised. Article 8 under the new SFDR legislation will become the lower limit for a sustainable product, and the stricter Article 9 will become the standard for truly “green” products and investment funds. And do not underestimate the impact of Principal Adverse Impact reporting.

Industrial, technology and healthcare stocks now offer a good mix between yield and defensive characteristics. China is undergoing an intensive reform phase, moving from “the end of poverty” to “common prosperity”. This offers opportunities for investors, as the country is a long-term challenge. However, investors have quickly priced in the uncertainty surrounding the regulations.

With almost all indices worldwide at record highs and US stock markets doubling in value after the March 2020 low following the Covid-19 crisis, the risk of a correction is increasing, according to European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), the European stock market watchdog, in a statement released yesterday. 

A study by a group of researchers from Ghent University shows that the sentiment of the coverage in Fondsnieuws (Investment Officer Luxembourg’s sister Dutch sister publication, along with Investment Officer Belgium) positively correlates with market returns. From this the researchers conclude that the journalistic work of Fondsnieuws has a certain predictive value for future stock market performance.

“The relative performance of emerging markets versus developed markets is in cycles. At the moment we are in a downward cycle. Today almost everyone is negative, but certainly in China there are companies with huge cash flows that are very innovative and offer opportunities for an active manager,” said Gino Delaere (photo), emerging markets specialist and fund manager at Econopolis, from Singapore, where he has been living and working for years.

“The United States remains the place to be for investors, despite the significant outperformance in recent years. Nowhere are you better served as an equity investor. For emerging markets, caution is especially necessary after the recent debacles in China.

It is better to reduce overweight positions to neutral and wait until the fog lifts. Especially in China,” investment strategist, consultant and author Jan Longeval of Kounselor Consulting BV told Investment Officer in a recent conversation.