Investment Officer Luxembourg

Luxembourg’s bank clients remained conservative in 2021, keeping nearly all - or 80 percent - of their assets in savings, even when interest rates are low, a survey conducted jointly by the Luxembourg bank association ABBL and financial regulator CSSF shows.

This survey showed a significant increase in deposits and in the number of loans granted. It also confirmed underlying trends such as the increasing use of online services. The figures for employment and the number of customers remain stable. 

To preserve financial stability , EU supervisory agencies for energy markets and for financial markets on Tuesday said they will intensify their cooperation and improve their exchange of information, seeking to avoid potential market abuse in Europe’s energy and derivatives markets.

ESG isn’t a project. It isn’t about appointing a team who can bolt sustainability on to an asset management operation. To win the trust of investors, staff, regulators, civil society, the press, ESG must be embedded in strategy, the LuxFLAG Sustainable Investment Week 2022 was told on Monday.

Plans by Paris-based Caceis to take over RBC Investor Services’ European business are raising redundancy fears among the firm’s 900 or so Luxembourg-based staff members in Belval.

Equity markets are still overvalued despite the deep declines we have seen this year. That is the view of Andrew Balls, CIO of Pimco, world’s largest active bond investor. According to him, both a mild recession, and falling earnings expectations are not yet sufficiently priced in.

Europe’s fund and asset management industry, seeing rapid growth in investor demand for sustainable products, is asking EU policymakers for a robust and transparent new legal framework that clearly defines how ESG and sustainability ratings for investment products are determined.

The ISM Manufacturing Index is not only an important indicator of future growth, but is also highly correlated with market returns. What many investors overlook: it’s not just correlated with equity returns, but also bonds.

By using indicators that say something about the direction of the ISM Manufacturing Index to define different ISM scenarios, you can derive implied returns for each asset class.

In-house valuation teams, with experts for every asset class, will become a standard feature among Alternative Investment Fund Managers, known as AIFMs, write Universal Investment’s Gerard van Vliet and Krzystof Czerner in today’s contribution as knowledge experts to Investment Officer Luxembourg. “Fair value calculations are not only necessary to pass regulatory audits, but also to provide a value-added to investors and their relationship with the AIFM.”