The continuation of the semiconductor supercycle
The first trading day of 2026 left no room for doubt. While many investors were still recovering from the champagne, chip stocks surged worldwide and set new records.
Venezuela, Greenland and the return of spheres of influence
When United States forces seized President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela, the political shock was immediate. The market reaction was not. Oil prices barely moved, investors stayed largely on the sidelines and attention quickly shifted from what had happened in Caracas to what it might reveal about how Washington now intends to wield power beyond its borders.
White House reins in proxy firms, curbing shareholder power
The US government is moving to scale back the influence of proxy advisers ISS and Glass Lewis, casting the firms as ‘foreign-owned political actors’.
Geopolitics and AI are testing the cost of capital
Debt is no longer rising quietly in the background of the global economy. For investors, the question is how much additional issuance markets are willing to absorb, and at what price.
2026 Perspective: Global Infrastructure Strategy
Infrastructure markets continue to evolve amid shifting global themes. Jags Walia, Head of Infrastructure, shares our perspective on the dynamics shaping the sector and what we are watching in 2026.
Morningstar: Invesco vs AQR in risk parity funds
Risk parity investors showed renewed optimism in 2025 after several years of underperformance versus the traditional balanced portfolios.
Most read on IO Netherlands in 2025: major private banks, Trump and gold
Eight of the fifteen most read Investment Officer Netherlands articles in 2025 focus on developments at, and the ambitions of, the major Dutch private banks: ABN Amro MeesPierson, Rabobank, Van Lanschot Kempen, ING and InsingerGilissen.
The economy that eats itself
Something strange is going on. The US economy is growing, but no jobs are being added. In fact, unemployment is rising to 4.6 percent. Normally, it works like this: first jobs are created, then wages rise, then spending increases. Now that order has been reversed. People are spending money they have not earned.
From lottery bonds to cryptocurrencies: the rational gamble of the small investor
For the average institutional investor, the appeal of lottery-like stocks—shares with a low price, high potential returns, and extreme volatility—is a mystery. But poorer investors simply reason very differently.
Halfway to the tipping point
The Cambrian explosion of AI-driven life forms has begun. Under the collective label of artificial intelligence, an ecosystem is emerging that is evolving faster than many people realize. Its impact is still often underestimated, both in scale and in speed, but it will permanently shape the second half of the twenty twenties as a structural force.