Asset Owner

Emerging markets outperformed developed markets in 2025 for the first time since 2017, driven largely by strong AI and tech gains in South Korea. This week Morningstar compares the Robeco Emerging Stars Equities fund with the Cullen Emerging Markets High Dividend Fund.

With the subpoena of Jerome Powell, political pressure on the Federal Reserve has taken on a legal dimension. The timing is striking: Powell’s term still has months to run, yet the White House is pressing ahead now. The stakes extend well beyond the fate of the Fed chair himself.

This week’s overview of appointments and transfers in Luxembourg and elsewhere in Europe.

The product classification in the revised SFDR does not allow for any ‘shades of green’. That is regrettable, because precisely such labels would make investment choices clearer for investors.

Despite a strong rally over the past year, the Brazilian equity market remains undervalued. Experts say that discount could evaporate quickly if interest rates fall.

The US Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell. Officially, the case concerns the renovation of government office buildings in Washington. No one should pretend to be naive enough to take that explanation at face value.

Sebastiaan Hooghiemstra and Marco Loria analyse fresh EU guidance on ELTIF passporting, arguing it dismantles national barriers and could unlock pan-European distribution through insurance, pension and savings wrappers.

Passive investing does not exist. It is a comforting fairy tale we tell ourselves, while we all press the same buttons en masse.

A new year, a new round. Every year at the beginning of January, I once again look with amazement and confusion at the equity market outlooks from the major financial institutions. And especially at the projected returns, which are invariably clustered right around the long-term average. Because one thing you can be almost certain of is that those projections will not materialize.

While the average fund in the Global Large-Cap Blend Equity Morningstar category eked out a 5.8 percent gain in 2025, it was hardly an easy year for investors. Tariff turmoil, geopolitical tensions, and demanding valuations weighed on sentiment.