Investment Officer Luxembourg

Equity investors cling excessively to certainties and undervalue innovations, leading to particularly strong return prospects for certain growth stocks, asserts Tim Garratt, an investment specialist at Baillie Gifford.

China is currently navigating a precarious situation reminiscent of the mythical dilemma between Scylla and Charybdis, grappling with a persistent real estate slump and waning investment interest. Adding to the challenges, U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s policies have further complicated the economic landscape for Chinese policymakers. The looming possibility of a currency devaluation sends a stark warning to global markets to brace for impact.

The start of 2024 has unfurled a rather promising chapter for global high-yield bonds. While the allure of hefty initial yields continues to draw the investor’s gaze, the relatively narrow spreads hint at an underestimation of the lurking credit risks.

Schroders plc, one of Europe’s leading asset managers, has announced that its CEO, Peter Harrison, intends to retire next year after a decade on its board.

The firm, headquartered in London, has initiated a search for his successor and anticipates an orderly transition throughout 2025. Harrison will remain a director of the company during this period.

Less than a week before announcing the sale of its asset management services arm, Luxembourg’s troubled investment firm Fuchs & Associés Finance - still in liquidation - was fined €785,000 by the Grand Duchy’s financial supervisor CSSF under laws on the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

This week’s overview of transfers, appointments, promotions and other people news includes updates from ABBL, Schroders, Clifford Chance, Tidan Capital and Schroders.

Yves Stein

Yves Stein (photo), CEO of Edmond de Rothschild (Europe),  has been elected as new chairman of the Board of Directors of the Luxembourg banking association ABBL. He takes over from Guy Hoffmann, who held the post since 2018.

Loan origination activities under the EU’s second Alternative Investment Fund Management Directive, known as AIFMD2, present both opportunities and challenges for alternative investment funds, or AIFs, writes Geoffroy Hermanns, partner at Norton Rose Fullbright in Luxembourg. In this contribution as Knowledge Partner to Investment Officer Luxembourg, he also addresses the impact  these AIF changes can have for Eltif funds used for loan origination.

Appetite for Luxembourg life insurance products declined significantly last year, according to the annual reports that the two largest unit-linked insurance firms, Lombard International and OneLife, posted this week.

While the name Noshaq is appearing in an increasing number of Belgian and international investment files, it still doesn’t ring a bell for many people. This is hardly surprising, given that the investment company, whose aim is to further develop and transform the economic fabric of the city and province of Liège, works rather behind the scenes.