Investing

Interest rates are shooting up and in some cases have reached the highest levels in decades. The share prices of US regional banks are collapsing again. And yet reports of new collapsing banks remain absent. Why?

Deposits!

The chart below provides the answer to that question. Despite continued competition with money market funds, deposits of smaller US banks are steadily increasing. Compared to a year ago, there has been a modest growth of 2 per cent.

After a dismal third quarter, bond investors are once again turning their attention to fixed income. A survey of European and Asian fund selectors forecasts a heightened demand for this asset class in the upcoming year, particularly with expectations of sustained equity market volatility.

Despite declining valuations in private equity, Schroders Capital’s European private equity chief Richard Damming remains confident, dismissing concerns as mere industry “noise”.

In the face of fluctuating private equity valuations, Damming reassures that they remain undeterred. “You sell a company at the price you want to sell it for, and otherwise you don’t sell it,” says the head of Schroders’ European PE branch. 

Outflows from sustainable investment funds in the United States accelerated during the third quarter, likely due to a political debate that is hostile to investing sustainably, according to the latest report on global sustainable fund flows by Morningstar. 

US 10-year yields have risen above 5 per cent. As a result, earnings yield - the inverse of the P/E ratio - has fallen below bond yields for the first time this century. With that, equities look vulnerable. The days of TINA are over for good, there is an alternative again and that is bonds.

With 29 new funds registered, last month was the best September in three years for new Raifs issuance, data analysis by Investment Officer Luxembourg shows. Raifs are Reserved Alternative Investment Funds. In Luxembourg these vehicles in recent years have gained significant international traction among those active in private assets such as credit, real estate and private equity.

Luxembourg, take the initiative for a European Nasdaq market. Take your expertise in financial structures and pioneer this change, says Finnish VC investor Riku Asikainen, managing partner and founder of Evli Growth Partners, or EGP, which hosts one of Europe’s biggest scale-up breeding grounds.

As Italy’s 10-year interest rate hovers around 5 percent, flashbacks to late 2012 become inescapable. A time not far off when Italy’s place in the Eurozone was in question. Could we be on the brink of another debt crisis?

Many in the investment world have a myopic view, focusing intently on ‘the spread’, especially with nations deep in debt. As per the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Italy currently boasts a rather ‘admirable’ debt-to-GDP ratio of 144 percent - and this pertains only to public debt.

The escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas challenges the appeal of US government bonds as a traditional safe haven. 

Typically, geopolitical tensions drive short-term market moves towards safer assets like cash and US government bonds. However, on Wednesday, the yield on ten-year US government bonds increased by 0.07 percentage points to 4.9 percent, its highest since 2007. The 30-year bond yield also rose to 5 percent. 

Luxembourg’s alternative investment funds (AIFs) continued to show resilience and growth last year, even amid economic headwinds, navigating economic challenges with private equity funds at the forefront of market momentum, according to the latest annual market overview by the Grand Duchy’s financial supervisor.