Asset Allocation

As its market value surpasses two trillion dollars, investment analysts praise Nvidia’s vision and operational prowess. The meteoric rise of Nvidia, the AI hardware manufacturer dubbed on Wall Street as ‘the most important stock in the world’, does have elements of surprise.

Uncover the intersection of passion and profit as top-tier banks, including J.P. Morgan, pioneer art financing solutions, offering professional investors an exclusive insight into the evolving landscape of high-value art as a serious asset class.

ABP, the Netherlands’ largest pension fund managing over €500 billion in total assets, has revealed a comprehensive sustainable and responsible investment policy. The pension giant aims to invest €30 billion globally by 2030 in projects ensuring both an “appropriate financial return” and a “measurable positive” contribution to the environment and society.

Private investment-laden portfolios of US university funds achieved a net return of 7.7 per cent in FY2023, but the gains were almost entirely due to public equities.  

Historically, university funds with larger endowments tend to achieve better one-year investment returns than funds with smaller endowments due to significant allocations to private investing. The rise in the US stock market and disappointing returns on alternative investments reversed the trend in 2023.

Artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks rallied late Wednesday during after-hours trading after Nvidia wowed Wall Street with its Q4 earnings. Investors seem to bet on more demand for “picks-and-shovels” in today’s AI-gold rush, echoing dot-com optimism according to some. 

Interest in investing in private markets, private credit in particular, may have surged, but that growth is just the beginning. “We see a structural shift towards private credit,” says Joan Solotar, global head of Private Wealth Solutions at Blackstone.

More than half of family offices want to add even more private investments to portfolios by 2024. The most popular category is private credit. Cash, public equities and high-yield lose out.

Pictet Asset Management has shifted its investment strategy, upgrading its allocations to global equities, UK government bonds, and information technology stocks. 

This move stems from the firm’s latest Barometer report and reflects confidence in the market despite the backdrop of falling interest rates. This change is driven by a notable slowdown in inflation and consistent economic growth observed at the start of 2024. 

Allianz Global Investors’ Franck Dixmier expects faster monetary easing in the US now that inflation there is now largely under control. But only later in the year. In terms of allocations he favours investment-grade credit, emerging debt and sovereigns with short maturities. 

Fixed income portfolios are likely to face a more complex and volatile environment, as the rate cycle’s turning point varies across different central banks. Market consensus suggests that while easing may begin, it will not be as rapid or deep as previously anticipated, leading to greater dispersion of returns across sovereign bond markets.