Chart of the week: the balance dance
The word is out! Fed Chair Jay Powell is considering stopping the reduction of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet. If you think that balance sheet has slimmed down significantly after three years of quantitative tightening, you’re mistaken. Moreover, Powell is putting himself in an impossible position once again by lowering interest rates at the same time.
Morningstar: T. Rowe Price vs MFS in global EM bonds
Emerging-markets hard currency bonds have delivered positive returns for USD investors in every quarter of 2025. However, European-based investors faced negative returns in the first half of the year due to a stronger euro.
S&P megadeal confirms it: data on private markets are big business
Data giant S&P Global, best known for its credit ratings, is strengthening its position in the fast-growing market for private and alternative investments with the acquisition of the London-based platform With Intelligence for 1.8 billion dollars. The seller is Motive Partners, founded by Belgian fintech leader Rob Heyvaert.
World’s top US growth manager puts faith in God, not tech-bubble prophets
The world’s number one US growth manager, according to Citywire’s manager rankings, says fundamentals still rule, even as bubble talk grows louder. He’d rather put his trust in God.
The rise of EMD is not a wave, but an upward trend
Not only this year are bonds from emerging markets an attractive alternative to the volatile debt of developed economies. European asset managers are seeing a structural shift in the financial policies of these countries. Amundi has even recently merged its emerging markets and developed markets teams.
Energy efficiency is the new driver in big tech
Artificial intelligence has unleashed an energy race across big tech, one investors can no longer ignore.
Donald Trump and the Nobel Peace Prize
The recent developments in the Middle East make one thing absolutely clear: president Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. This is the logical conclusion if we look at what the prize is supposed to reward: concrete peace achievements that save lives.
Forget ‘superstar city’: a new look at REIT cash flows
A groundbreaking study shows that “superstar cities” systematically lag in total returns — a crucial insight for valuing REITs (real estate investment trusts). The explanation lies in lower rental yields and surprisingly low risk, which fundamentally changes how future cash flows should be assessed.
Investors struggle to price nature’s true value
Despite growing awareness, nature remains a hard sell for investors.
European small- and mid-caps: towards an upswing?
In the long term, small- and mid-cap companies tend to outperform large caps. It is this prospect of excess returns that compensates for the increased risk associated with the higher volatility of this asset class.