Climate change remains the biggest environmental consideration affecting investment decisions, a new report from Deutsche Bank argues. According to the group’s 2023 ESG Survey, more than two-fifths (44%) of respondents saw it as the most-important factor, followed by 20% naming land degradation, 15% ocean pollution and the unsustainable use of marine resources, and 12% naming…
The EC has proposed an ‘Action Plan’ to help accelerate the roll-out of electricity grids across the continent, calculating €584bn in investment will be needed. The proposal from the European Commission said electricity consumption was expected to rise 60% by 2030, precipitating the need for investment. The €584bn figure had been calculated, it said, based…
The European Commission (EC) is preparing a €50-€60bn package to help support Ukraine’s National Plan to rebuild the country. Addressing the Kyiv Investment Forum, EC president Ursula von der Leyen said Ukraine had the people and the determination to make the country a “hub of green industry and digital innovation”. “The city of Kyiv is…
“Anaemic” growth has left Europe more vulnerable to recession risk than other major economies, according to BNP Paribas. In the group’s 2024 investment outlook, Stepping into a New Reality, Daniel Morris, chief market strategist for the London office, wrote: “Europe is the region where pessimistic forecasts were largely realised – and where pessimism is potentially…
Exchange-traded fund (ETF) assets in Europe reached €1.4tn by the end of last year, according to the new edition of EFAMA’s ‘Markets Insights’ series. This, the European Fund and Asset Management Association noted, represented the lion’s share of the growth in exchange-traded products (ETPs) over the last half-decade. The report, UCITs ETFS: A Growing Market…
The European Environment Agency (EEA) has called for more private investment to help underpin a smoother sustainability transition. According to the organisation, the continent needs a “solid socio-economic and fiscal policy framework” to ensure that the European Green Deal is implemented smoothly. First presented by the Commission in 2019, the European Green Deal aims to…
The pace of US consumer spending looks set to slow down over the medium-to-long term, writes Cherry Reynard The US economy turned in an astonishing performance for the third quarter, growing at an annualised rate of 4.9% between July and September. Financial markets aren’t sure whether to be happy or alarmed at the pace of…
PGIM Investments has appointed Rochus Appert to the new role of the group’s country head of Switzerland. Appert, who will be based in Zurich, will lead the US asset manager’s wholesale distribution strategy for the Swiss market. “PGIM Investments has been continuing to grow and develop its presence across Europe,” said Matt Shafer, head of…
The EU is expected to see greater average investment relative to GDP over the next five years, according to research by fDi Intelligence. The firm said it had concluded this after an analysis of IMF data on gross fixed capital formation (GCFC) – defined as the total value of investment to add or maintain fixed…
The cost-of-living crisis is biting in Germany, with reports this week of surging food inflation and a collapsing fibreoptic sector. The German financial newspaper Handelsblatt ran the two reports, stating in one that food inflation within the country had reached 97% for some items. App company smhaggle had compared prices for the paper, concluding that…
The Federal Reserve held the US base rate steady again last night at a 22-year peak of 5.25–5.5%, as widely expected, writes Alex Sebastian. While the decision to leave rates unchanged was no surprise, Chair Jerome Powell’s accompanying commentary was where the interesting elements were found. While once again reiterating the Fed’s determination to bring…
Asset manager DWS has joined with Munich Re’s and ERGO’s asset manager firm MEAG to buy the biogas and biomethane firm Weltec. DWS confirmed it had entered into the joint acquisition as part of its third institutional Pan-European Infrastructure Fund (PEIF III). Financial details, said the group, were confidential. “We are pleased to be working…
