Francis Muyshondt

Pierre Lamelin, manager of the Comgest Growth Europe fund, has made finding value in growth companies the cornerstone of his strategy. These companies, with their unique combination of value and growth characteristics, are invariably labelled quality. The manager is convinced that these companies, given their higher and predictable earnings growth, will outperform the market in the longer term. 

Two thirds of the UN sustainable development goals are in danger of not being achieved, warned Ben Constable-Maxwell of M&G. In some areas, great strides are indeed being made in the right direction, but in the area of hunger and poverty, the Covid pandemic has caused a setback. 

Brice Prunas, manager of the ODDO BHF Artificial Intelligence, makes no secret of his enthusiasm for artificial intelligence as it quietly breaks through in all corners of the market. He not only invests in it but also uses AI to manage his fund. 

Confidence in Chinese investments has taken a knock following the recent tightening of Chinese regulations. However, fund manager Fidelity International believes the Chinese growth story is intact and there are opportunities for long-term investors as the underlying trends have remained intact despite increased state intervention.

Pimco is not too worried about the economic slowdown and rising inflation, as these are largely related to a temporary disruption. Opportunities in the credit and bond markets have become scarcer and finding them requires a lot of effort.

This is what emerges from an interview with Eve Tournier, Head of European Credit Portfolio Management at Pimco and manager of the GIS Euro Credit Fund, among others.

Jai Jacob, managing director and fund manager in Lazard Asset Management’s multi-asset investment team, creates his own asset classes because traditional subdivisions no longer suffice. Most recently, he created sustainable agriculture. He also takes a different view of emerging markets because this universe has become predominantly China, just at a time when Chinese markets are reeling. 

The ninth annual Global Sovereign Asset Managers Survey, conducted by asset manager Invesco, shows that sovereign wealth funds and central banks have shifted more money into equities and expanded their investment horizons. It is also notable that, according to Rod Ringrow, head of official institutions at Invesco, many have increased their investments in China while taking ESG more seriously.

More equities

There are a lot of opportunities in finance (particularly in Asia), but you have to leave the beaten track. And stock market operators are the most important fintech companies today. There are also plenty of disruption opportunities in Fintech 2.0. So says William Pang of Capital Group in an interview with Investment Officer.

Capital Group economist Robert Lind is a bit short on calling the current inflation surge temporary and sees faster-than-expected central bank intervention as the biggest risk to the bull market. He also has strong views on Sino-US trade relations and holding bonds in a portfolio.

Inflation uncertainty

At the 14th Investment Forum of Luxembourg-based life insurance specialist OneLife, global equity funds were the most popular. Bond funds seem to have fallen out of favour.

The forum was held over two days for a (limited) live audience while absentees could follow the event at home via streaming. This edition brought together quite a few fund managers who mainly exchanged investment ideas and insights. And equities received a lot of attention anyway.

What about the economy?