Investment Officer Netherlands

The Federal Reserve last week cut interest rates from 4.25–4.50 percent to 4.00–4.25 percent and will lower rates further at the remaining meetings of the FOMC, the Fed’s policy body. This comes even as financial conditions have already improved and there is still an extraordinary amount of liquidity on the sidelines.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a multibillion-dollar deal last week with the US for the construction of a series of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Although the so-called “nuclear renaissance” is also taking shape in Europe according to investors, they see American companies as the main beneficiaries.

Frédéric Degembe, Chief Investment Officer of ING Belgium, is enthusiastic about the unified Investment Centre announced by parent group ING. “It’s a growth story in which Brussels can play a key role,” he said.

Eurozone corporate bonds delivered a return of 4.2 percent over the past twelve months (as measured by the Morningstar Eurozone Corporate Bond Index), while their US counterpart, the Morningstar US Corporate Bond Index, lost 1.8 percent in euro terms. The currency effect was crucial here.

Assets in gold ETFs and ETCs have more than doubled worldwide in just two years, rising from nearly 200 to 439 billion dollars. “In the current gold rally, these instruments have gained significant momentum.”

With inflation still running close to 3 percent, investors warn the Federal Reserve may be cutting into a “stagflation-lite” backdrop: weaker growth alongside stubborn price pressures.

Should you invest in crypto? A fundamental question for every investor. In a paper, Ran Duchin, David H. Solomon, Jun Tu, and Xi Wang reach a surprising and provocative conclusion.

Pension funds represent a strategic reservoir to finance innovation and the climate transition in Europe. Despite estimated assets of 2.7 to 3.55 trillion euro, their exposure to venture capital remains marginal: barely 0.1 percent of portfolios, according to a study published by European Women in VC, Pensions for Purpose and Venture Connections.

Europe’s pensions supervisor is relaunching the failed Pan-European Personal Pension Product under a new label, EuroPension. Critics warn the project risks repeating past mistakes: too complex to compete with low-cost ETFs, too weak to rival national schemes, and too focused on capital markets at the expense of statutory pensions.