Vive la France!
Last week, the French government survived two motions of no confidence, mainly by promising not to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 for the time being. For S&P, however, this was reason enough to downgrade France’s credit rating from AA- to A+. It may seem like a minor detail, but for managers of fixed income funds that require at least AA-rated investments, it created an immediate problem. Did all those French government bonds suddenly need to be dumped?
Morningstar: Candriam versus Robeco in global high yield bonds
During the third quarter of 2025, investors who assumed moderate credit and duration risk were rewarded, as the European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged at its July and September meetings, while the U.S. Federal Reserve cut rates once in September.
Investors are rediscovering Europe’s value, says M&G
Bhavneet Ahluwalia, investment specialist at M&G, says value investing in Europe is reasserting itself in a changing global landscape.
Why water investments are struggling
Disrupted supply chains, volatile market conditions, and lagging investments have made investing in the water theme challenging. In recent years, European investors have withdrawn billions from water funds.
Last wave of traditional managers embraces the active ETF model
As active ETFs grow beyond niche status, some of the last traditionally active managers, including Columbia Threadneedle and M&G, are entering the European market with strategies that blend research conviction and daily oversight.
Investing alongside the Pentagon: lucrative but ‘not exactly cheerful’
Since President Trump began his second term, the US government has increasingly taken stakes in companies considered strategically important for national security. Investors are worried about what this means for market efficiency, but in the short term they are profiting from rising stock prices.
CM-AM Convictions range: Driving long-term value creation
In a context of global uncertainty and evolving monetary policies, the CM-AM Convictions range stands out for its fundamental equity approach, expert management, and proprietary tools aimed at long-term value creation
Pinsent Masons: AIFMD 2.0 implementation in Luxembourg and the Netherlands
Legislation proposed by Luxembourg in October to enhance the regulatory framework for alternative investment funds and UCITS aims to provide greater flexibility and clarity. The Netherlands, meanwhile, is working on the implementation of AIFMD II.
‘Nature-based solutions are where renewable energy was 15 years ago’
Triodos Investment Management is betting that nature-based solutions, still a niche segment, will mature into a full-fledged asset class within the next decade.
Hardly any insurers still invested in government bonds
Driven by steadily declining yields and increasingly strict capital requirements, Dutch, Belgian, French, and German insurers have in recent years largely divested from government bonds. The freed-up capital has mainly been invested in corporate bonds and private debt.