Recent news about the COVID-19 pandemic has been worrying, with more contagious strains of the virus spreading internationally, rising contamination rates, and healthcare systems on the verge of being overwhelmed, particularly in the UK and the US.
With vaccines having been rolled out to combat the global pandemic in late-December, perhaps unsurprisingly, two wealthy, small nations – Israel and the UAE – are among the global leaders in deploying them to their domestic populations.
The stars are aligning for emerging market local debt. The asset class may have been in the doldrums since the global financial crisis, but it is now poised to outperform thanks to a raft of positive factors – from emerging markets’ solid economic fundamentals and undervalued …
After a rollercoaster 2020 for European high yield markets, 2021 looks set to be more stable. Fears of high levels of corporate defaults have proved unjustified, allowing high yield to rebound in 2020 and setting the scene for the coming year. While the second Covid-19 wave, and the new variant, are weighing on recovery, once vaccinations bring the virus under control a degree of normality …
Unprecedented monetary and fiscal stimulus and late-year positive news on vaccines fueled a relentless rally in …
The 2016 Paris Agreement is at a critical juncture for at least two reasons. First, it recently celebrated its five-year anniversary. It is far too early to analyse the Agreement’s “achievements”, but that will not stop critics from trying. This scrutiny should be welcomed by those whose fear that not enough attention is being paid to rising temperatures’ grave threat to mankind. After all, 2020 was the second-hottest …
COVID-19: Data privacy risks and potential opportunities Social sensitivities around personal information held by external parties, particularly technology firms, has rapidly grown in recent years – and it’s a concern which has escalated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Crypto in Review 2020 The Year of the Bull 2020 will be remembered as a catastrophic year for the world’s economy as the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged global markets. In light of this tragedy, crypto’s epic COVID-19-induced crash and bounce to
2021 wereldeconomie: de meest spraakmakende personen Traditioneel wordt aan het einde van ieder kalenderjaar de balans opgemaakt en vliegen de ranglijsten je om de oren. Wij pakken het anders aan: welke personen moet u in 2021 in de gaten houden,
Sector Compass: Light Sector Compass Reopening, Recovery and Rotation The sector rotation seen in flows and performance in the last two months of 2020 could continue given many investors still hold cash and are underweight the more risky areas. While
More than zero: Using emerging markets bonds to optimise portfolios There are a number of reasons many investors do not yet have emerging markets (EM) bonds in their portfolio, including awareness, understanding and difficulty of access. All of this means
In September 2020 we published our long-term outlook (link). At that time we anticipated that the economic recovery in the eurozone would start in the second half of 2020 and that the rebound would continue into 2021. Unfortunately, after a strong economic recovery in the third quarter, many eurozone countries imposed new lockdown …
It is Martin Luther King Day today and on 20 January Joe Biden will be inaugurated as the 47th and oldest ever President of the United States. There was a degree of stabilisation in rates markets last week after the inflation fears led a sell off. The benchmark 10-year US government …
The election of Joe Biden as the new US President places the world’s biggest economy back at the heart of international efforts to limit global warming. The Democrats’ environmental agenda is as bold as they come. A pledge to re-join the Paris Climate Accord within …
In a turbulent 2020 infrastructure was an apparent safe haven, proving relatively resilient. However, the unprecedented shock to the asset class across all industry sectors and geographies at the same time, in a short period of time, has provided food for thought on several issues.
Financial sector headlines are often dominated by banks and insurers. But there is one area that has emerged as a steady grower and dividend payer: financial exchanges. Exchanges’ gains contrast against steep declines in the broader financials sector, where traditional banks in particular have grappled with ultra-low rates and a slowing global economy. Over the …
Mutual Funds available to the Dutch retail market Top 10 Rankings Screening – The screening starts by selecting the range of funds that are open-end and registered for sale in The Netherlands for the specific asset class – In order
Economic and asset allocation views January 2021 Global market perspective News that a Covid-19 vaccine is on its way has provided a boost to the outlook for the world economy, and spurred a significant rally in risk assets. Over the
This report examines the state-of-the-art for verbal, numerical and visual methods that are available to communicate uncertainties in official statistics reports. It provides insights into the uncertainty of statistical estimates through a review of existing work on the communication of
With unified Democratic control, fiscal stimulus looms large in 2021 January 2021 The big thing I am focused on as we begin 2021 is: Will the cyclical rotation trade, which was the dominant market trend during the last two months
It really is different this time. While this is not the first pandemic the US has faced, our reaction to it — the restrictions placed on portions of the US economy, and the policy response — are truly unprecedented. First, there are lots of reasons to be optimistic about the US economy over the longer term. Official productivity statistics likely understate the impact of innovation …
Equities look set for a positive 2021: last year’s themes and secular change should persist with support coming from factors such as dovish monetary policies. However, risks linger, not least those related to the pandemic. Overall, this constellation makes for a stock pickers’ market, argues Guy Davies, CIO of Equities.
The other virus Column by Hendrik Tuch While Covid-19 continues to grab headlines, we should not disregard the economic effect of another virus which is steadily spreading across the globe. The African swine fever virus does not affect humans but
Euro high yield: the opportunity today Credit Outlook The upheavals of 2020 have brought structural changes in the euro high yield (EHY) bond market. So, what has changed, what still applies, and what role can this sector play in European
Quarterly Outlook January 2021 The start of 2021 and the promise of broad vaccine distribution brings a sigh of relief to many. Yet, the long-term investment ramifications of the pandemic will continue to unfold over the coming years as governments
We have always needed water and that is not going to change Water: a pervasive resource and a portfolio staple The transition of many economies from a depletive to a sustainable model with better social and environmental outcomes creates a
Municipal bond outlook: Silver lining to COVID storm clouds Commuter trains with seats to spare at rush hour. Vacant dorm rooms. And, of course, hospital wards, stretched to capacity. The effects of COVID-19 on all our lives have been plain
2021 Global Market Outlook – Managing to the Other Side Four themes to follow: An Uneven Road to Recovery Style Dispersion Amid Disruption Creativity in a Low Yield Era Politics and the Pandemic
Brightening Outlook Propels Credit Market Rally Fixed Income Asset Allocation Insights Credit markets continued to rally into December, and valuations now fairly reflect optimism that we are firmly on the path toward economic and earnings recovery. While these conditions would
UBP Frontier Debt 2020 review and 2021 outlook 2020 confirmed the volatility of Frontier Debt, but also its resilience and mean reverting nature Belief in the longer-term merits of the asset class gave UBP the confidence to launch our fund,
DNB starts implementation of new UFR curve January 2021 As announced last year, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the regulator for Dutch pension funds, will start publishing interest rate curves with an adjusted methodology at the end of this month. Over
As we enter 2021, financial markets appear to be clinging to a more optimistic view of the world than the one we left behind in 2020. Undoubtedly we have reasons to be more hopeful, but it seems that we still
As we go to press, it looks likely that Democrats will also run the Senate, in addition to the White House and the House of Representatives. With expectations that this will translate into greater fiscal stimulus in the near-term, bond
What Georgia Senate Results Could Mean for Markets Unified government puts fiscal stimulus, tax increases on table. T. Rowe Price Insights on the U.S. Election As president, Joe Biden will have a stronger hand to pursue his legislative agenda now that
Stronger headwinds in the short run, but the medium-term outlook improves on vaccine rollout House View The global economy rebounded strongly in the third quarter, after a very sharp contraction in the first half of the year. Global economies remain
Het verschil tussen de financiële markten en de reële economie leek nog nooit zo groot als in 2020. Men hoopt weliswaar dat de tweede golf van COVID-19 in Europa, het zwaarst getroffen continent, zal verzwakken, maar de epidemie blijft zich
The estimated (year-over-year) earnings growth rate for the S&P 500 for CY 2021 is 22.1%, which is above the 10- year average (annual) earnings growth rate of 10.0%. If 22.1% is the actual growth rate for the year, it will
Bitcoin, blockchain, and cryptocurrencies burst onto the world stage in 2008, when the online posting of a pseudonymous white paper envisioned a new way to transfer value over the internet.1 In the decade-plus since, the cryptoasset market has gone through
In a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a renewed focus from governments and companies on the need to address climate change and other sustainability challenges. For their part, many investors are integrating ESG and climate considerations
The distinguishing features of impact investing White Paper The growing market According to the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the impact market, which doubled in size in 2018, continued its solid growth in 2020, reaching USD 715 billion. This stunning
Understanding the impact of the global investment community on the real world Green Dream with BNP Paribas AM Jane Ambachtsheer BNP Paribas Asset Management’s global head of sustainability discusses the long-term impact of the financial industry on the planet and
In the last few years new words have been invading our everyday vocabulary. We have gone from ‘climate change’ and ‘green economy’ to the more specialised ‘sustainability’ and ‘integration’ and the utterly bizarre ‘principal adverse impact’ and ‘taxonomy’. What is
Most investors have grasped that the extraordinarily loose monetary policies pursued by the leading central banks in 2020 have provided greater support than ever for financial asset prices. So now that the worldwide Covid vaccination campaign has stirred hopes of
Do Sectors Matter in Fixed Income? Less Than You May Think December 2020 | White Paper Sector-allocation decisions form an integral part of many investment processes, both in equity and fixed income portfolio management. Most benchmark providers in both asset
As assets have grown, our size has not been a hindrance to our highest convictions Asset growth and size – equity, January 2021 Size and scale afford Capital Group important advantages. Our global reach, reputation and financial strength help us
US bond yields buoyed by the ‘Blue Wave’ In Credit As the US Political landscape evolves (after Democratic Party victories in Georgia) and the risk of increased (bond-financed) government spending grows, US bond yields have also risen materially. This is
Born to Run December 2020 Market Recap & Outlook Takeaways BTC’s +47% return in Dec. marked its best monthly performance since May 2019 and an annual return in excess of +300%, BTC’s 4th best annual performance since 2011. ETH’s +20%
Barometer: Een herstel waarin we kunnen geloven Investment Outlook Januari 2021 De Covid-19-vaccins stellen ons in staat om voorbij de pandemie te kijken en ons te richten op de versterking van de economie, die verder ondersteund wordt door aanzienlijke stromen
Dark Before The Dawn Economic Outlook for 2021 Few will look back wistfully on 2020. COVD-19 did tremendous damage to public and economic health around the world. Unprecedented medical and fiscal responses established a recovery, but progress has been uneven
Global emerging markets: gaining momentum Despite its huge impact on health and wellbeing, the Covid-19 pandemic has done little to disrupt the powerful structural trends driving growth in emerging markets (EMs). We expect these trends to gain additional momentum in
