Investment Officer Luxembourg

The Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and the ECB have all started to tighten. The Fed thinks that by the middle of next year it will have ended its 120 billion a month buying programme. At this rate, tapering will be faster than last time. To avoid discussions on tapering, Lagarde prefers to talk about recalibrating instead of tapering, but it is the same thing.

Although the UK led the way in the rollout of vaccinations and Brexit was largely overshadowed by the Covid pandemic and reopening, the divorce continues to cause uncertainty among investors. 

The energy transition is anything but smooth. This week, two energy suppliers went bankrupt in the United Kingdom and more are to follow. All this as a result of the record prices for natural gas. In continental Europe, too, the prices for natural gas are going up vertically.

“Due to the search for yield, a “shut up and take my money” sentiment is starting to emerge in the world of high-yield corporate bonds. Investors would be wise to be more cautious in allocating money to the high-yield markets. It is dangerous to stay in the highest-risk segment with the idea that things will go well for another six months”, according to Sander Bus, managing director and co-head of the credit team at Robeco, speaking in an interview with Fondsnieuws, Investment Officer Luxembourg’s sister publication.

Deutsche Bank Belgium aims to position itself as a global player and to expand further in the private & wealth management segment. Local presence is important. The distinguishing factor compared to other private banks and wealth managers is that Deutsche Bank Belgium focuses primarily on investment advice and support, including for small portfolios. The standard discretionary management of the competition is definitely not the strategy pursued.

Guy Wagner of Banque de Luxembourg Investments believes that Western economies will emerge weakened by the health crisis, with higher inflation and huge private debt. His fund is defensively positioned, despite an equity exposure close to 70% of assets under management.

The pandemic has put the resilience of the big city in the spotlight. The need to protect cities against the challenges of this century remains as great as ever. Schroders is therefore investing in real estate projects in the cities of the future. They are looking for players who push the boundaries and take the most drastic steps towards “net zero”. How? In this case, with a python script and a big database.