Morningstar: Invesco vs First Sentier in global emerging markets equity
Emerging markets started the year strongly, but geopolitical tensions stemming from the US/Israel–Iran conflict have since tempered sentiment.
Platforms are shifting power dynamics in European fund distribution
The way capital flows is changing. Alongside banks and traditional networks, digital platforms are increasingly claiming a prominent place in this chain. This shift is altering access points to markets and strengthening the role of standardized products in portfolio construction, such as ETFs.
The acceleration
The world was already electrifying at a rapid pace. But two developments are now pushing this process into an acceleration that would have seemed unthinkable just a few years ago.
The shift in how the world sees farmland
In the past Farmland struggled to sit comfortably with traditional asset classes. This short piece explores why that matters, and what it reveals about how investors are reassessing risk and long term value.
Adding private markets can increase overlap in risk exposure
Investors seeking to diversify their portfolios and reduce dependence on traditional equity indices are increasingly turning to private markets. However, through their public holdings they already have exposure to those same markets. The additional costs associated with private funds do not structurally deliver higher returns.
Private equity shifts pressure to retail investors
Private equity’s model is coming under strain as exits slow, capital remains tied up, and investors are waiting longer for distributions. Rather than resolving these pressures, the industry is increasingly passing them on to individual investors, said Lucas Crasborn, chief investment officer at Optimix Vermogensbeheer, an independent wealth manager overseeing around 2.5 billion euros.
Morningstar: Schroders versus T. Rowe Price in global equities
Equities are off to a volatile start in 2026. While initial optimism around the AI capex boom continued to support global equity markets, a rotation into cyclical sectors, value, and non-US stocks helped broaden the rally.
Asset owners push asset managers back into net zero alliance
Asset owners representing 3.7 trillion dollars in capital sent a clear message to their asset managers at the end of January: stay committed to net zero. Demand for climate strategies among institutional investors in Europe remains firmly intact.
Higher rates weigh on EMD more than geopolitics
The unrest in the Middle East has affected Emerging Market Debt (EMD) through rising rates and higher risk premiums. There is no indication, for now, of a structural deterioration in credit risk.
Oversubscription of bond issuances creates a snowball effect
The fact that some bond issuances are now oversubscribed by as much as ten times illustrates how sharply market sentiment has shifted. After more than a decade of interest rates close to zero, bonds in the eurozone are once again offering returns, around 3 to 4 percent for investment grade.