Italian investors keep faith in absolute return despite disappointments
Italy is the country of pizza, pasta, and…. absolute return. Nowhere else in Europe, investors crave absolute return products as much as in Italy.
Investment
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Central bank manoeuvring puts banks back in play
The Fed and the Bank of Japan failed to disappoint markets on Wednesday. And, with that lack of disappointment, has come a growing belief that the banking sector might well be turning once more into a viable investment destination.
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The beginning of the end for hedge funds?
It’s the big divorce that is the talk of today’s headlines – yes, investors have fallen out of love with hedge funds.
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Investors prefer short-duration in EM debt
As part of their ongoing search for yield, European investors are intending to increase their exposure to emerging market debt. While ready to take on a bit more volatility, they still shy away from taking on duration exposure in the region.
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Bank of Japan’s ‘yield curve control’ gets mixed reception
With news overnight that the Bank of Japan has unveiled a new form of stimulus, professional investors and economists reacted with mixed enthusiasm.
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Don’t pick outperforming funds if you want a good return
Fund selectors would not do wise using past performance as a metric in their fund selection process, according to three American scholars. Moreover, funds that have outperformed their benchmark over the past three years tend to underperform funds with a mediocre or poor performance record over the next three year-period.
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Dutch investors lose faith in European equities
Appetite for European equities among fund buyers in the Netherlands is lower than it ever has been. They believe the ECB has run out of ammunition to give equity markets another shot, while they see an autumn storm coming in from across the Atlantic.
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More equity funds beat benchmarks in 2015
Lyxor Asset Management has found that close to half of European- domiciled active funds outperformed their benchmarks last year, a big increase on 2014.
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Multi-strategy funds – failing to deliver
Multi-strategy absolute return funds have been a blockbuster seller with investors for the past few years. But these funds have so far not done what they promise. With one exception.
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Trump could win; it might not be all bad
The brouhaha over Hillary Clinton’s pneumonia is just the latest sideshow in the US presidential election circus. While it is unlikely to derail her campaign, it has served once again to highlight the fact that a Trump presidency remains a possibility and markets are increasingly concerned.
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Spanish investors leave multi-asset funds again
Spanish fund buyers embarked on an unprecedented multi-asset fund buying in 2014 and 2015. This year, however, multi-asset funds have seen net outflows as local investors de-risk again.
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US equities: If you can’t beat them, join them
European investors have been dismissing US equities as too expensive for a couple of years. But as the S&P 500 continues to outperform other equity markets, appetite for the asset class is again on the rise.