Investing

Investors often overlook the growth potential of companies exposed to megatrends like the energy transition and artificial intelligence. Those who discern the transformative potential early and stay invested might reap significant returns in the next decade.

A recent chart from UBS has caught my attention. It indicates a surprising reluctance among Americans to spend during the upcoming holiday season, especially when compared to their willingness in July.

EU-domiciled Exchange Traded Funds, or ETFs, are growing at twice the speed of traditional Ucits funds, demonstrating continued appetite among investors for passive and low cost investment vehicles, a deep dive by PwC Luxembourg shows. Meanwhile, Denmark has emerged as Europe’s top target market for ETF distribution.

Despite growing optimism about investment conditions, the latest Goldman Sachs Asset Management survey indicates that a majority of investors still view private equity as too expensive.

Inflation concerns continue to shape market predictions. “For three months, we witnessed impressive figures, but then oil prices spiked unexpectedly. This isn’t a fleeting issue,” commented Mary Pieterse-Bloem, chief investment officer of Rabobank, in the CIO Debate at Investment Officer’s 16th Fondsevent conference in the Netherlands on Monday.

The ambition of the financial sector to further democratise private markets is not yet convincingly reflected in practice.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s recent announcement that U.S. interest rates will hold steady at 5.25% to 5.5% has sparked a debate among investment professionals about what would be best for asset owners: a “soft landing” or a full-blown recession?

Panel discussions at Alfi’s Global Distribution Conference on Wednesday exposed differing viewpoints on the definition of a retail investor, casting a shadow over prospects for success for the next generation of European Long-Term Investment Funds, or Eltifs.

Registrations of reserved alternative investment funds took a very relaxed late-summer break during August, quietening to a level last seen early in the Raif product’s history — in January 2019. Only 15 new funds were registered during the month, according to data from Luxembourg Business Registers analysed by Investment Officer.

Market participants are bracing for an unexpected — and for a long time, unthinkable — interest rate hike by the Bank of Japan (BoJ). In an interview on Saturday, BoJ Governor Kazuo Ueda indicated that he is considering raising rates “provided wages and prices continue to rise sustainably.”