Investment Officer Luxembourg

The European Central Bank as expected announced a 75-basis-point interest rate hike on Thursday. It is the third consecutive increase this year. The move came as no surprise to markets.

The central bank updated its wording of the forward guidance, indicating that further tightening is to be expected, but will be done on a meeting-by-meeting basis. At the press conference, following the board meeting, President Lagarde elaborated on the time lag between monetary policy decisions and the subsequent effects on economic data. 

In an earlier column here I defended Liz Truss. I expressed support not so much for the content of her policies as for their intention. Truss wanted to promote the growth capacity of the UK economy and ensure that working would pay more. My support for Truss went completely against the consensus as virtually everyone I heard about her was scathing.

The EU’s top category of sustainable investment funds - impact funds as defined under SFDR Article 9 - saw inflows double in the third quarter compared to the second, while funds that are considered mostly sustainable, or Article 8 ESG funds, continued to bleed, research insights by Morningstar show. The analysis also shows that more than 380 funds were reclassified during the third quarter.

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority on Wednesday presented its long-awaited proposal for sustainable investment rules, going a step further than similar rules in the EU and US by suggesting three different sustainability labels for investment funds instead of two. And unlike the EU, the FCA now has proposed a 90% threshold for the most sustainable investment funds.

Dutch investment bank Kempen Capital Management has reclassified three of its sustainability funds to “light green” from “dark green/most sustainable” ahead of increasingly stringent requirements that will take effect from 2023 under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, known as the SFDR.

The European Union has reached a political agreement that brings the relaunch of European long-term investment funds, a type of investment vehicle known as Eltif, one step closer. The European marketing passports for Eltifs are regarded as a major business opportunity for Luxembourg firms. 

The Luxembourg Stock Exchange on Tuesday launched a new, simplified post-trade settlement model that no longer requires a clearing membership. The exchange has partnered with Italy’s BFF Bank to provide the new service.

The new model simplifies the post-trade process of Luxembourg’s bourse, also known as LuxSE. The change “allows for a more streamlined and efficient settlement of securities transactions made on a channel encompassing 21,500 tradable instruments”, it said.

Chinese stocks are in a sell-off following Xi Jinping’s power grab. “Tighter state control of the Chinese economy warrants a higher risk premium.”

Driven by new technologies, consumer expectations and risks, banks are increasingly forced to think and act differently, The boldness with which they embrace change in the time ahead will determine which scenario unfolds between now and 2035. “Massive changes are on the horizon.”