Morningstar

Over the past five years, US equities have shown superior performance. Measured over the five years ending May 2022, the S&P 500 index achieved an annualised total return of 13.9% in euros, compared with 10.8% for the MSCI World index. The return of the MSCI Europe index compares favourably with 5.1%. Only in 2017 did US equities perform less well, but in the years thereafter it was America First.

Investing in weapons and the military industry is controversial for many investors. For example, since 2011, investing in companies that produce, sell or distribute cluster munitions or crucial components thereof has been prohibited by law in 110 countries, including the Benelux. 

It is important to note however that the legal prohibition does not apply to participation in investment institutions and indices in which the producers of cluster munitions or companies involved represent less than 5 percent of the value of that investment institution or index.

In the turbulent first quarter of 2022, inflation and the pandemic gave way to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and resurfaced. Yet deep losses were recouped, and some investors even posted double-digit gains. This week in the Morningstar top five: mutual funds in the global large-cap equity category mixed.

Japanese shares were hot in the 1980s, but the bubble has deflated mercilessly in the decades that followed. The high point that was reached in 1989 was never reached again. Especially funds in value shares seem to have fallen victim to the disinterest of investors in recent years. Now Japanese value stocks are hitting back.

Japanese value stocks in particular performed relatively well in 2021 and have continued to strengthen in the first two months of this year. The 1980s marked the heyday of the Japanese stock market.

There are no winners in a war, but investors who held commodities in their portfolios in recent weeks were able to limit their losses, writes Morningstar’s Thomas De fauw in his Top 5 contribution for this week. Prices for energy, metals and agricultural products have been rising. 

While US companies are generally praised for their quality, strong competitive advantages and high growth prospects, European equities are significantly less popular. Although most fund managers seem to have less faith in European equities, they are generally popular with value and dividend investors.

Almost every European country has its own national stock index. Indices like the AEX, the BEL20 and in Luxembourg, the LuxX index, are all recognised national benchmarks in their country. Well-known among private investors, but less useful for institutional investors. In this overview we review the best-performing European share indices.

Slowdowns in emerging markets don’t bode well for the asset class, but as we know, one market is not like another. In this top 5, Morningstar analyst Thomas De Fauw looks at funds that focus on opportunities in Southeast Asia.

Investors mainly invest in emerging markets because economic growth there is usually higher than in more developed markets. Although this is still the case, the difference has recently fallen to an all-time low. 

Growth stocks have been the apple of investors’ eye for years. Technology, software and e-commerce companies have grown imperturbably into leading billion-dollar corporations. In the wake of established names, the potential unicorns of the future sprang from the ground and eagerly took advantage of the opportunistic sentiment among investors to obtain fresh growth capital through a stock exchange listing.