Investment Officer Luxembourg

Two-thirds of Europe’s institutional investors plan to stop investing in non-ESG funds by the end of next year, according to fresh survey data released on Monday. Nearly 72 percent of them are willing to pay a premium for ESG products, while a similar majority of European asset managers wants to stop launching non-ESG products by 2024.

Green securitisation is struggling to find a foothold, it became clear at a recent LuxCMA conference. With no regulation or framework defining what “green securitisation” is or can be, Luxembourg-based advocates are looking at international practices and evaluating how European financial legislation can be adapted. 

Luxembourg’s fund industry supports the introduction in new EU retail finance legislation of more lenient ‘opt-up’ criteria for retail clients that would give them the same status as professional clients. At the same time, it opposes the creation of a new category of semi-professional investors.

The European Council and the European Parliament have taken an important step towards the implementation of a new sustainability reporting system in Europe. It concerns the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, or CSRD, which requires companies to have their reported sustainability information independently verified.

An investment portfolio today should consist predominantly of US assets. Impact investing is sustainable investing 2.0 and long duration assets continue to struggle. That is what independent investment expert Jan Longeval said during the closing debate of Portfolio Day, which Investment Officer organised in Brussels last Thursday. 

European Depositary Bank, the Luxembourg-based provider of banking, depositary and custody solutions, on Monday announced that it has appointed David Claus as CEO and member of its board of directors. Claus until recently was the Luxembourg head of BNY Mellon.

The bank, known as EDB, is part of Apex Group and is one of the largest providers of depositary services in Europe for regulated Ucits and alternative funds, with over 160 billion in assets under depositary as of May 31.

The Atlanta Fed GDPNow real GDP forecast for the second quarter stands at exactly 0 percent. So no growth expected. Something economists certainly do not take into account.

The Atlanta Fed GDPNow forecast is a growth forecast based solely on published macro data during the quarter. This differs from the forecasts of most economists, who usually only give one number that may or may not be revised.

Few asset classes offered protection in this market correction, but investors who chose bonds with shorter maturities were able to limit losses somewhat.