Investing

BlackRock, during the presentation of its 2024 Global Outlook at its New York headquarters, indicated that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to cut interest rates until the second half of next year, a scenario the market currently sees as highly improbable. This divergence in expectations set the stage for the event, titled “Context is Everything”, where the asset manager shared its strategic insights. 

Saxo Bank’s annual Outrageous Predictions, a brainchild of Steen Jakobsen, CIO at Saxo, have become a global phenomenon, intended to provoke thought and reassess investment strategies.

Forecasting the S&P 500’s trajectory, most major banks in the US, including their asset managers, predict a marginally positive year for the index in 2024. However, views diverge significantly on the fate of the ‘Magnificent Seven’ tech giants.

Updated European rules for long-term investment funds known as Eltifs will enter into force on 10 January 2024, but managers looking to actually launch new Eltif 2.0 funds may have to wait until the end of February because European financial supervisors still have to agree on the technical standards for supervising these products.

Skyrocketing mortgage rates and astronomical house prices make it almost impossible for the average American to buy a house. So activity declines. The result is a drag on growth.

The US 30-year mortgage rate, while falling slightly, is still close to its highest level in more than 23 years. Nevertheless, house prices have risen to record highs after a brief dip. This is only nice if you own a house, because otherwise it is an unfavourable combination economically.

With the official launch of Eltifs 2.0 in early 2024, the private semi-liquid private funds market is undergoing a revival, both in terms of products and assets under management.

Investment Officer is organising an event on 30 November at the H’ART Museum in Amsterdam to look ahead to 2024. The event will cover topics such as economic growth, inflation, and the role of artificial intelligence in the financial sector.

Let me begin by stating my agreement that the Federal Reserve is unlikely to raise interest rates imminently. However, basing this expectation solely on the latest inflation figures seems overly optimistic. The recent data, after all, were not exceptionally positive.

Dutch pension funds are striving to address concerns about the high performance fees they pay to private equity funds by increasing accountability and explaining the dilemmas and choices surrounding these investments.

Predicting future interest rates is a favorite activity among economists and strategists, but Dimensional Fund Advisors takes a unique stance. “Forward rates are the best guide when positioning bond portfolios for higher expected returns,” they assert, dismissing the predictions of journalists and other ECB/Fed watchers.