New Raif registrations remain below year-ago levels
Some 27 new Reserved Alternative Investment Funds, or Raifs, were registered at the Luxembourg Business Register during February, according to information made public at the end of the month.
The number brings the total new Raifs registered so far this year to 48 funds. That compares to 78 new Raifs that were created during the first two months of last year.
Luxembourg now is home to a total of 2173 Raifs. During 2022, a total of 472 new Raifs were registered. That is an average of 39 per month.
ESG policies point to growing geographical split
Responsible investment policies at two thirds of the world’s major asset managers, representing some 60 trillion dollars in assets under management, fall short of their objectives, leaving the firms with “serious gaps” in their practices, according to a report published by British NGO Shareaction.
Chart of the week: are stocks overpriced?
My column last week, titled ‘Cash is king,’ showed that both cash and bonds are again competing with equities. After years of being saddled with TINA - There Is No Alternative - there again is something for investors to choose from.
Nordea AM: Social Bonds emerge from the shadow of green bonds
Social bonds and investments in the “S-pillar” of ESG in particular will play a more significant role for investors overall. In the case of social bonds, the terms of issue specify in which social projects the capital proceeds are invested.
UkrainePlatform emerges as investment think tank
A Luxembourg roundtable initiative that brought together public and private sector stakeholders with an interest in the economic recovery of Ukraine has evolved into becoming UkrainePlatform, a think tank focused on encouraging investments and developing the country’s economy.
PGIM Investments: Growth investing near the hike cycle’s end
Mark Baribeau, Head of Global Equity at Jennison Associates, shared insights on global equity markets, the interest rate tightening cycle, and the investment appeal of companies positioned to sustain growth amid deteriorating conditions.
Climate risks have ‘sizeable’ impact on bank profits
Banks are vulnerable to damage from climate change, which could particularly affect their balance sheets and asset holdings. Banks in southern Europe are more vulnerable than average: they face increased physical risks for more than 60 per cent of their corporate loans. Transition risks mainly involve loans to carbon-intensive sectors, which are included in the portfolios of a limited number of banks.
BLI’s Wagner sees rates go up amid firm consumption
The Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank will continue to hike their interest rates this month among broad and persistent signs of strong consumption and the “resilient nature” of economic activity, Guy Wagner, chief investment officer at BLI - Banque de Luxembourg Investments, said.
Capital Group | Five perspectives on ESG in bond investing
As lenders, bond investors can also have distinctive and insightful perspectives on ESG.
CSSF fines Degroof Petercam €1.56 mln for ‘deficiencies’
Financial supervisor CSSF has issued a fine of 1.56 million euros to the Luxembourg unit of Belgian bank Degroof Petercam after it found the firm to be in “non-compliance with its professional obligations” in regards to anti-money laundering measures.