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FeaturesMarket volatility: low risk does not mean ‘no risk’
Efforts to produce an accurate estimate of market risk can sometimes turn into a pessimist’s paradise, leading to a paradox. If the outcome of the estimation looks positive, investors might feel that they should not count on it, and if it looks negative, the real outcome will probably be worse than expected. From that perspective, the third quarter of this year was a very unusual one, quantitatively speaking. Not only did both risk and return decline simultaneously – a rare event – but investor sentiment also turned negative during the quarter, ending at its lowest level since the March banking crisis.
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FeaturesRegulators set sight on private market fund valuations
The current waves of rising inflation and interest rates, economic uncertainty and market volatility may eventually be remembered as just a temporary setback for managers of unlisted assets. But the regulatory initiatives announced in recent months, following pressure from investors and the public, could bring about deeper changes to the buoyant private markets industry.
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FeaturesFixed income, rates & currency: interest rates the big question
In August, when Fitch Ratings downgraded US debt from AAA to AA+, it cited an “erosion of governance” as one of the key reasons for its decision. September’s US government shutdown chaos will probably not have improved perceptions of US lawmakers’ proficiency to govern.
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FeaturesQontigo Riskwatch – November 2023
*Data as of 29 September 2023. Forecast risk estimate for each index measured by the respective US, World and Emerging Markets Qontigo model variants
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FeaturesIPE Quest Expectations Indicator - November 2023
IPE’s monthly poll of market sentiment, asking 50 asset managers about their six to 12-month views on regional equities, global bonds and currency pairs
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FeaturesFixed income, rates & currency: Lean times to follow good summer?
The macro-economic news in the third quarter has been good, with better growth than expected and better inflation data than feared. In the final few months of the year, however, markets may have to deal with the potential for some softer economic news and possibly more negative inflation data, and not just from seasonal factors.
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FeaturesCredit investors ready for a possible US recession
Although 2023 has been ‘interesting’ so far, it has also provided relief after the challenges and financial asset mayhem of 2022, and a wide range of asset classes have posted positive returns to date.
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FeaturesDutch suggestions for fine-tuning pension funds’ climate stress tests
Five Dutch IORPs supplemented EIOPA’s 2022 stress test, the first to include climate scenarios, with their own more granular approach
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FeaturesImpact investment: How change theory can boost key messages
Simply aligning an investment with one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) does not always convince individuals about the impact of an investment. Communicating about change can help.
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FeaturesResearch: Pension funds stabilise EU financial markets in good times and bad
A recent study investigated the potential stabilising role of pension funds in financial markets in the European Union from 2001 to 2017
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Features
SASB grapples with universal appeal
In the ever-evolving landscape of corporate sustainability, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) has long been the guiding star for the 90% or so of companies in the S&P500 that use the standards to chronicle their environmental, social and governance journey.
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FeaturesQontigo Riskwatch - October 2023
*Data as of 31 August 2023. Forecast risk estimate for each index measured by the respective US, World and Emerging Markets Qontigo model variants
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FeaturesIPE Quest Expectations Indicator - October 2023
The Russian war in the Ukraine is still stalling, with the prelude of the US elections coming closer. Trump’s self-destructive utterings keep his followers unmoved but do nothing to convince independents.
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FeaturesPancakes for lunch with Nobel laureate Harry Markowitz
Harry Markowitz, Nobel Laureate and founder of Modern Portfolio Theory, passed away in June this year. Much has been written about his contribution to the development of modern finance theory. Less, though, on Harry as a person.
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FeaturesISSB: Green future or more green washing?
Imagine a world where investment professionals can make decisions based on standardised environmental, social, and governance (ESG) data. Well, that may no longer be a pipedream, thanks in no small part to the publication on 26 June of the International Sustainability Standards Board’s (ISSB) board’s first two sustainability reporting standards.
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FeaturesFixed income, rates & currency: Uncertainty persists
As the major central banks in developed markets reach, or at least near, the end of their hiking cycles, markets, rather than identifying when policy rates will peak, focus is now on the conundrum of just how long these policy peaks will be maintained.
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FeaturesThe US dollar’s declining status as a global reserve currency
The recent US debt ceiling negotiations have brought into question the viability of the US dollar’s status as a global reserve currency. Long-term investors have been reviewing their strategic asset allocation away from the currency, seeking to diversify their exposure and to take advantage of long-term investment opportunities.
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FeaturesOpen-ended investment funds face up to the shadow banking dragnet
The debate over the systemic risk of non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) – sometimes called shadow banks – is a recurrent theme but it has recently moved to the forefront thanks to tighter monetary policies, geopolitical risks and factors such as the UK’s LDI crisis. While regulators are assessing the threats posed, most market participants believe changes will not happen for years. For some, there are fears that largely unleveraged segments like open-ended investment funds could be unfairly targeted
