STEFAAN CASTELEYN
PARTNER
1VERMOGENSBEHEER
Score prediction: BELGIUM 2 – RUSSIA 0
INVESTMENT INSIGHT:
Can Belgium win the European Championships ?
Yes, Belgium can! At least according to a study by the University KU Leuven. Computer scientist at this University have made statistical simulations based on past results of all participating teams in all their mutual matches since World War II.
These different results have also been ranked based on the ranking of the teams at the time. So a win against a stronger team counts for more points than a win against a less prominent team. Based on all these results Belgium has a 29% chance of winning the championships.
Based on this simulation both France and Spain have a 14% chance of winning and Italy and Portugal 9%. For Denmark and England this is 7% and 6%.
So will Belgium win?
As every investment professional knows, past results are never a guarantee for the future. And obviously there is a 71% chance that Belgium will not win! However all things considered, the competion is warned! The Belgian squad is a power to reckon with.
ALAN MCGREGOR
PARTNER
AVC ADVISORY
Score prediction: BELGIUM 0 – RUSSIA 0
INVESTMENT INSIGHT:
It may be surprising to some that Russian is leading the way in certain areas of renewables – one example is the second largest gas extraction company of Russia, Novatek, will spend almost $21bn developing a ship-to-ship LNG platform.
Of course many investors focus on the large blue chips, such as Novatek, when assessing the Russian market which are generally perceived as being cheap. They also pay decent dividends, due to mandatory regulations implemented by the Russian government and central bank, unsurprisingly proves popular with investors.
With the global economy possibly embarking on a ‘super-cycle’ in commodities, these behemoths are well placed to benefit from these themes. They are also well-insulated from local currency fluctuations as most commodities are traded in US dollars.
When it comes to the game… Well, most clashes involving Moscow and Brussels tend to end in a stalemate, so I will go for a cagey, chess-like goalless draw
