On 31 May the Vienna Stock Exchange Award will be celebrated and awarded to the winner. The day is dedicated to the financial centre of Austria, and the award is accompanied by numerous other events that are geared towards drawing investors’ attention to the domestic stock exchange. Erste Asset Management is one of the biggest investors at the Vienna stock exchange. In the past five years, the Vienna stock exchange has seen a clear upward trend. We spoke about the reasons for the steep upswing, possible risks, and the future perspective with Bernhard Ruttenstorfer.
Monthly archive:May 31, 2017
Bribery accusations put shock to Brazilian capital markets
Last Thursday, incriminating video and audio tapes emerged that linked current President Michel Temer to bribery. The accusations have thrown Brazil into a deep political crisis, and the capital markets have lost massively.
The best global equity funds under one roof
Markus Jandrisevits has been the manager of our global flagship equity fund since 28 February 2002. The performance to date is impressive on an international scale. I asked Markus what was special about his investment approach and how he has positioned himself in the current stock market phase of high political risks.
Curves (part 6) – provider of yields
Have you ever been to a Californian beach? If you have, you may have noticed the hoards of “searching”, elderly people. They would usually be holding a metal rod that beeps, looking for valuables that no-one else has found. And sometimes somebody finds a lost golden watch on the beach. But most of the time the things that turn up are only worthless beer caps.
Afterthoughts on the Turkish referendum
After the ballots were counted on 16 April 2017, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported that “Yes” had won by securing 51.4% of the votes, which was later also confirmed by the Electoral Commission. Serious concerns were raised by the OSCE. It is also important to note that the referendum took place during a “state of emergency”. That is to say, in a highly repressive climate in which the President and the government controlled the media, jailed critical journalists and leaders of pro-Kurdish parliamentary opposition, and arbitrarily detained and prosecuted the President’s opponents. The result of the referendum has paved the way for the most controversial changes that Turkey has faced in its history.
What investors can learn from Maria Theresia and the Vienna stock exchange
Austria celebrates the 300th birthday of Maria Theresa. She was born on 13 May 1717 in Vienna. It was her who founded the Vienna stock exchange in 1771 on the basis of an imperial patent (see image), after an earlier, failed attempt in 1761. Even though a lot has changed politically, economically, and technically since then, the eventful history of the Vienna stock exchange is still very instructive for every investor.
My impressions from IMF meeting in Washington: Emerging markets “alive and kicking”
The spring meeting of the International Monetary Fund was held in Washington from 20 to 23 April. This event was the reason for an investor conference that I attended in order to get an idea of the status quo of the global economy as well as of risks and opportunities.
Curves (part 5) – the offensive decides the match
Football has two strategies. Some prefer focusing on the defensive so as not to concede a goal – i.e. they try to maintain the status quo. Other teams favour the offensive and actively engage in a fight for victory – i.e. they take risks. The strategies on the bond markets are similar. Credit-safe government bonds are preferably used to protect one’s wealth, whereas risky corporate bonds are chosen to produce surplus gains.
Macron wins French elections
The elections are over. The next President of France will be Emmanuel Macron. This strengthens the camp of the liberal EU supporters. What does this result mean for the capital markets?
Curves (part 4) – the premium, or spread, is the clincher
The interest rates, or coupons, that bonds pay differ due to a variety of parameters. If bond A pays a higher interest rate than bond B, this premium is referred to as spread.