Inflation and tight spreads: bonds discouraged for 2026
Stay away next year from “long” government bonds and from corporate bonds, both high yield and investment grade. Profligate governments and poor risk-return profiles will spoil the mood in those markets.
Chart of the week: the confrontation
Market sentiment in fixed income is turning quickly. Within just a few weeks, investors and even central bankers have rotated one hundred eighty degrees. Rising inflation risk and an even greater lack of fiscal discipline are pushing yields higher. It is a nightmare scenario for politicians and the run-up to a major confrontation.
Morningstar: AllianceBernstein vs Pimco in high-yield bonds
Prudent risk management is vital in high-yield-bond investing. As this week’s Morningstar fund comparison shows, even strategies operating in the same corner of the market can diverge sharply when stress hits.
India gains recognition as diversification anchor
India is drawing fresh interest from global investors as domestic demand, rapid digitalization and a deepening capital market give it resilience few major economies can match. Emerging market specialists say these qualities are becoming increasingly relevant for diversified portfolios.
Your Investment Soundtrack: The Companies Behind BL Equities Japan
When it comes to investing, there’s never a shortage of noise—constant market updates, countless opinions, and promises of quick profits. It’s easy to lose sight of what investing truly means: owning real businesses that create lasting value.
Dividends, a compass to navigate through uncertain times
For centuries, dividends were the measure of a stock's success. Yet the past four decades saw dividend investing fade into the background as cheap credit and rising valuations rewarded speculation over cash returns.
Investors manage just fine with less research on smallcaps
European regulator Esma is advocating a revision of research rules, expected to take effect next year. Allowing research and trade execution to be paid for jointly again could create new opportunities for smallcap coverage.
Investors favor EM equities over those from the US in 2026
A majority of large asset managers are most optimistic about equities for 2026, particularly those from emerging markets. US equities remain a strategic cornerstone, while Europe and Japan play a smaller but growing role in geographic diversification.
Mandates lose ground to funds
Assets managed through discretionary mandates have expanded more slowly in Europa over the past ten years than assets held in investment funds. That is the conclusion of Efama, the European fund industry association, in its latest sector review.
Private credit’s real risk rests with the managers
In private credit, institutional investors face their biggest risk not in the asset class itself, but in selecting the general partner. Interviews with private market insiders suggest the real danger is a lack of scrutiny of managers.