Justin Doornekamp

Renewable energy stocks have shown underperformance relative to the broader markets for years, even though the long-term outlook remains favourable.

After a two-year hiatus, the IPO market is showing signs of life, with private equity firms seizing the opportunity to take their portfolio companies public.

Asset managers still work with a variety of custodian banks, but is this truly necessary? According to experts from the Netherlands, the perfect custodial institution doesn’t exist. Moreover, no one wants to be dependent on a single entity.

European investors continue to channel funds into sustainable investments, recognizing the enduring appeal of sustainable UCITS funds. In 2023 alone, an impressive one trillion euros flowed into European Article 8 and 9 funds. This trend is expected to attract more investors towards sustainable funds in the years ahead.

Sentiment around defence stocks appears to be on the upswing. Numerous investors previously avoided such investments, yet deglobalisation and geopolitical unrest have made the case for investing in defence more tenable.

ABP, the Netherlands’ largest pension fund managing over €500 billion in total assets, has revealed a comprehensive sustainable and responsible investment policy. The pension giant aims to invest €30 billion globally by 2030 in projects ensuring both an “appropriate financial return” and a “measurable positive” contribution to the environment and society.

To become content, one must liberate themselves from emotions. Amsterdam-based asset manager Stoic embodies ancient Greek stoicism, aiming to shield clients from emotional investing. “We are behavioural psychologists rather than asset managers.”

In an uncertain geopolitical and macroeconomic environment, Iris van de Looij has recently taken charge of investment teams at InsingerGilissen, Quintet’s private bank in the Netherlands. The bank is currently in a slightly defensive mode, but sees scope to add some more risk to its portfolio again. 

While many asset managers continue to explore private investments amidst growing market uncertainties, Optimix Asset Management has consistently avoided them. “Investors don’t need private markets,”  said Jelte de Boer, managing director of Amsterdam-based Optimix, a Dutch subsidiary of Swedish bank Handelsbanken.

The dominance of the “Magnificent Seven” will diminish in 2024, leading to a more broadly oriented equity market next year. This is the expectation of equity experts. “There will no longer be seven next year,” they predict. On other themes, opinions are divided.