Current market information and expert opinions đđđ
What’s happening on the stock markets? Which sectors and trends are currently popular on the market? Where is the global economy heading, and how are the latest economic developments affecting share prices? Here, our experts and fund managers provide answers to the most pressing questions for investors đ
The semiconductor industry is considered one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom. Investors therefore kept a close eye on the sector’s figures for the first three months of 2025. One thing became clear: the expansion of AI infrastructure continues to deliver good results for most chip companies â but the sword of Damocles in the form of impending US tariffs is still hanging over industry giants such as Nvidia & Co. Read more in today’s blog post.
Following the tariffs shock and the accompanying market turmoil, the deferral of said tariffs has led to a surprisingly rapid upturn on the equity markets. That being said, uncertainty remains high, even though the US reporting season has been positive so far. Read more in the market commentary by Gerald Stadlbauer, Head of Discretionary Portfolio Management.
The US government’s extensive tariff plans have been causing volatility on the stock markets since last week. Yesterday’s announcement of a 90-day pause for the new tariffs was met with relief by the markets â even though a further escalation between the US and China is on the horizon. We take a look at the current situation on the financial markets and analyse the possible consequences of an escalation in the trade conflict.
Every year the independent investment research provider BCA organizes an outstanding event for investment professionals from all over the world to come together and have a vibrant discussion about recent challenges in financial markets.
Ten years ago, the Lehman bankruptcy made huge waves in the stock markets. The after-effects of the financial crisis can still be felt today. More in our blog.
The central bankersâ assessments regarding inflation and the labour market are considered important indicators for future interest rate policy. More on our blog.
As long as the underlying investor sentiment remains positive and investor confidence does not tilt, we are optimistic about the autumn on the capital markets. Find out more about the outlook for the global financial markets in our new blog.
US retailers are looking forward to another high-turnover back-to-school-season leading up to the start of the new school year. This time of the year plays an important role in the US and is regarded as the second-strongest sales driver after Christmas season.
Annualised real global GDP growth amounts to slightly above 3%. The composition of growth is not homogenuous. While the US economy grows strongly, the weakening loan growths puts weight on the economic activity in China. Find out more in the current yield radar.
Germany is not only the largest, but also one of the strongest economies in the Eurozone and the EU. This is reflected, among other things, in its stable economic growth. In 2017, Germanyâs GDP increased by 2.2 per cent compared to the previous year, only slightly less than the total Eurozone growth of 2.4 per cent.
Biotech shares are regarded as highly promising due to the innovative strength of the sector, but they also tend to be subject to drastic price fluctuations both ways. After a long period of consolidation, biotech shares have embarked on a clear upward trend since May 2018. Harald Kober, Senior Fund Manager, explains the reasons for the investorsâ optimism.
The performance of European equities in the year to date has been disappointing. While in the USA stock exchanges are going from strength to strength, European share prices have been stagnating. Is it still worth investing in European equities?
The month since the previous meeting in July had been a positive one for investors willing to take risks. Thus, the optimistic risk stance of our team paid off. It is therefore not surprising that the team remains optimistic.
2018 could be a record year for mergers, at least if the exceptional first half of the year is any indicator. However, it is this development that makes analysts sceptical as to whether and for how long this pace can be maintained. Will this current bout of mergers soon come to an end?
After several âmini-shocksâ throughout the year such as inflationary fears in the USA and a temporary crisis of trust in connection with Italian government bonds, quite a bit of uncertainty has already been priced into the market. Will the current phase, which is characterised by rising share and bond prices and that comes with credit risk be only a short-lived one? Or have the markets generally entered calmer waters?
Over the past three years (2015-2017) the ATX, Austriaâs main equity index, posted an annual return of more than 16%, making the Vienna Stock Exchange the best performing European stock market (or second best, if Eastern Europe is included).
The Turkish lira reflects the difficult situation Turkey is currently in. This year alone, the currency has shed more than 45% of its value to date. Interview update with Anton Hauser, Senior Fund Manager, Eastern Europe bonds.
In this interview Anton Hauser, senior fund manager at Erste Asset Management and expert for Central and East European (CEE) government bonds , talks about the difficult first half of 2018 and illustrates possible future scenarios.
The performance of most asset classes in the year to date has been mixed, to put it euphemistically. Is there a common underlying factor? Can we expect to see a better second half of the year?
Has the political and economical backdrop improved as result of the election in Turkey? In our newest blog post we’re answering 7 of the most important questions.
An Investment Committee again! A month can pass quickly, especially if there is a lot going on in the markets. In light of recent market events (Italy, Turkey, Argentina), I was surprised that our risk stance has not changed since our last Investment Committee meeting. Obviously, it takes a lot to get us out of […]
At the kick-off for the World Cup finals on 14 June, Russia will move to the public limelight for four weeks. Time for a closer look at the Russian economy and equity market.
Letâs start with a trip down memory lane: Do you remember the scenery 30 years ago â on the financial markets, and in our personal lives? The 1980s â many of the older generation are still thinking back to the âgood old timesâ. There were no smartphones and no data kraken. Instead, we had shoulder […]
The Turkish central bank was forced to raise its most important interest rate by 300bps and to re-align its monetary instruments. What are the reasons for this nosedive?
The heightened uncertainty over whether Italy will repay its debts and whether it will remain a member of the eurozone has led to a sell-off in securities. Our chief economist Gerhard Winzer gives an overview.
Positive opportunities still outnumber the negative ones on the capital markets â that was the conclusion of our Investment Committee. Our willingness to take risks is still optimistic and also moderately higher than in April.
The sentiment of the financial market participants has deteriorated in the past months, with the losses across numerous asset classes in the year to date seemingly the driving factor. Now we have to ask ourselves: are we at the outset of a new trend, or is this just a case of increased volatility? The general decline in prices has gone in conspicuous tandem with the increase in three important financial market ratios:
No, this is not an article on football, and any football reference is purely coincidental. This is an article on the football nation whose economy is (finally) showing positive trends and has (finally) been awarded a one-notch rating upgrade by two rating agencies, S&P and Fitch, this year. Only one notch away from the much-desired investment grade rating, the Croatian economy remains on sound footing before tackling its last challenge.
Every year at the beginning of May, investors are faced with the question of whether they should leave the stock exchanges and take the profits generated up to that point, and return at a later date in autumn. But is the old stock market adage âSell in Mayâ still valid?
Senior Funds Manager Felix Dornaus summarises his learning points from the presentations by the International Monetary Fund in Washington on 20 to 23 April 2018. Who were the winners and who the losers?
The environment on the financial markets has become a bit bleaker. Growth rates of industrial output and the survey-based indicators for economic growth are falling, while the trade conflict between the USA and China and the tense geopolitical situation in the Middle East has caused the risk for global growth to increase further. Will the environment remain generally supportive to risky asset classes?
It is often overlooked and due to its elusive nature, there is no standardized way to judge someoneâs character. The topic rarely appears in textbooks or professional courses, and investors are generally skeptical about their ability to asses it. Which leads to the following question: Is it knowable? In other words, is there some reliable way to judge someoneâs character?
On 3 April, we held our monthly Investment Committee meeting. Only three weeks after the previous one â three weeks that were tightly packed with issues, as we can see in the performance data of the most important asset classes. Equities and high-yield bonds have lost value, whereas Eurozone government bonds and emerging markets bonds have recorded gains. An upside-down scenario, compared to previous months.
The most important central bank of the world, the US Fed, increased the Fed funds rate on 21 March and also published projections for economic key indicators. Even though this does not sound like much, the implications for the markets are significant.
On 14 March our Investment Committee met, and as always, we started out on a discussion of our risk stance, i.e. our risk assessment. From my point of view, four findings of the discussion are worth bringing up here:
The announcement by the US President, Donald Trump, to levy import tariffs on steel (25%) and aluminium (10%) has made waves. Can the favourable economic environment be toppled an will we see a trade war between the US and the EU?
To most people, the notion of the performance of shares relates to changes in the share price. This does not take into account the second component of return, i.e. the dividend. Simply looking at the share price development seems too one-sided to me. After all, dividends may account for up to a third of total return, as is the case for example for the shares listed on the Vienna stock exchange. However, shares with strong dividends do not generate the highest total return in every phase of the market.
The economic environment for Italy remains challenging. The fundamental problem is the low economic growth. Although the composition of the future government is still unclear, the party programs imply a persistent reform deadlock.
Fears of rising interest rates are back. Was the recent 9% correction in global equities just a market blip, amplified by technical factors related to the trading of volatility products? Or something more serious â a regime shift signalling the end of the equity bull market as many have argued?
The economic environment for the capital markets is subject to change as we speak. About one and a half years ago, the global economy shifted from recovery to boom, which was very advantageous for the markets. The features were strong, broadly based economic growth, low inflation, very supportive monetary policies, good earnings growth, and limited price fluctuations on the markets. We have now started leaving this best of all worlds (âGoldilocks scenarioâ) in more and more categories.
The BBVA Latin American Local Markets Conference in London gave Christian Gaier, senior fund manager of government bonds of emerging markets, the chance to talk to local Latin American representatives. In our blog he shares some of the insights he gained and the narratives that may affect 2018.
The year 2018 had started on such a promising note â is what we all were thinking. But at the beginning of February, the market taught us a lesson. As a result, the discussions at our first Investment Committee of the year at the beginning of February were interesting ones.
There are many factors that may affect inflation. Also, the weights of certain factors may vary across countries. Take the development of the exchange rate, for example.
Equity indices have undergone a global correction in the past days. The Dow Jones index has shed more than 10% from its January high. What is the macro-economic reason for the correction?
At the beginning of 2018, economic indicators are confirming the recovery scenario. Above all, the yields of government bonds are on the rise. Why is that the case, and what does it mean for the financial market as a whole?
At the moment the environment on the markets is very supportive. The economy is booming, the big central banks are still buying government bonds on aggregate and are thus keeping yields low, and the tax reform in the USA has improved the sentiment further over the past weeks. In addition, most asset managers agree on the status quo. Given this background, people ask âwhen will the party end?â. An increase in inflation is (one of) the usual suspect(s).
With both rounds of the Czech presidential election behind us, we can now take a look back at some of its highlights. Incumbent Milos Zeman reaped a narrow edge over his challenger Jiri Drahos.
2017 was an excellent year for stocks. Developed markets were up more than 16% in local currencies, emerging markets almost 28%. How will the markets develop in 2018?
European banks (as measured by the Stoxx 600 Banks Index) had a decent year in 2017: the index climbed more than 8%, slightly outperforming the broader European market (Stoxx 600 Index). The strongest positive impulse came from the French elections in April last year, where the populist threat was successfully defeated by Emmanuel Macron, arguably the most market-friendly candidate among the contenders. A robust European economy and a solid business sentiment throughout the year also helped banking shares go higher.
Interview with Ulrich Eberl, one of the most renowned German-speaking scientific journalists and futurologists. Among the books he has published are âZukunft 2050 â wie wir schon heute die Zukunft erfindenâ (âFuture 2050 â how we are inventing the future todayâ) and âSmarte Maschinen â wie KĂźnstliche Intelligenz unser Leben verändertâ (âSmart machines â how artificial intelligence changes our livesâ).
Bitcoins were developed in 2009 as a virtual, digital currency by one person or group with the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Bitcoins are not physically tangible and are thus also difficult to grasp mentally for many.
