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.
On 23 June the people of the UK voted in favour of an exit from the European Union. Basically the UK thus strengthened its supposed (?) state sovereignty at the expense of the economic advantages of an EU membership. For the rest of the EU, its economic and political clout weakens as a result.
Yesterdayâs referendum in the UK surprised with a narrow majority in favour of Brexit. According to the latest results, 51.8% voted for the Brexit, i.e. the exit from the EU. Polls and betting odds had been suggesting a majority in favour of remaining (âBremainâ) in the EU. As expected, Brexit is triggering a massive negative […]
Author: Dieter Kerschbaum, Communications Specialist Austria Interest rates are at record lows in the euro area, as a result of which investors can feel a great deal of pressure to achieve acceptable yields. This situation shifts their focus back to the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Central and Eastern Europe currently comes with […]
Less than a week is left before the British electorate will decide whether the United Kingdom should remain a member of the European Union (the Bremain scenario) or leave the union, an outcome known as Brexit. Two months ago, when we started covering this event in a series of blogs (see here, here, here and […]
Risk-averse markets The classic indicators on the capital market suggest rising risk with respect to the economy and risky assets. Spreads have widened, and the yield differential between long-term and short-term government bonds has fallen; volatility has increased. Also, the inflation rate priced in has decreased, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc have appreciated, […]
The financial environment has brightened up. Equity and commodity prices have increased. At the same time, spreads and (implied) volatilities have declined. The positive development across many parts of the world has been supportive to the optimism of investors with regard to an improvement of the economic environment. In conjunction with the surplus liquidity, they […]
Shares (equities) are classified, among other criteria, according to sectors, e.g. healthcare, consumer goods, energy etc. Shareholders pursue different approaches when it comes to the classification process. In this report we follow the methodology of MSCI, a US financial service provider that offers international equity indices and risk analyses.
Equities have recovered from their beginning-of-year slump, and bonds, especially corporate and emerging markets, have recorded impressive gains. The loosening of the monetary environment in China and the continuation of the loose monetary policy in the USA have reduced the risk aversion of investors. In terms of asset allocation, we generally prefer default risk. Equities […]
The US central bank signalled the continuation of its loose monetary policy at its FOMC meeting on 27 April. This is remarkable given that along with the short-term stabilisation of the Chinese economy, this Fed policy is one of the most important reasons for the price rises of risky assets since February.
The global population will reach 10 billion people by 2100, with masses streaming into the cities. The environmental problems are becoming more challenging as we speak due to the exploitation of raw materials and the climate change, which has manifested itself via ever more frequent freak weather events. The call for the cautious handling of […]
Stock markets not impressed â so far While the debate about Brexit is getting more intense (just a day ago the UK Treasury released its warnings) and the Pound Sterling is trading near historical lows as the referendum is approaching, the UK equity market has not shown any signs of stress. Its valuation premium to […]
What financial markets are telling us about Brexit The UKâs exit from the European Union â known as âBrexitâ – would be a major economic and political event for the UK, Europa and the wider world. While Brexit is not the most likely outcome, it is a real possibility, raising questions, how financial markets will […]
The economic implications of Brexit Opinion polls and betting odds as well as the muted response of debt and equity investors suggest that Brexit â the UKâs exit from the EU – is not the most likely scenario. That said, it cannot be ruled out. For example, about a quarter of all opinion polls conducted […]
The likelihood of Brexit On June 23, 2016 the UK will hold a referendum. Voters will decide whether the country should remain a member of the European Union (the âBremainâ-scenario), or whether it should leave the EU (the âBrexitâ-scenario). Arguably, Brexit marks the most significant tail-risk for European and global asset markets in 2016.
The recovery from the slump on the equity markets we saw at the beginning of the year is coming to an end. The rally is losing steam. The search for new supporting factors in addition to the expansive central bank policies is difficult. In line with the general strategy âsell on highsâ, we took the […]
Every year, the best funds and investment companies that show a constantly high, risk-adjusted performance within their comparison group are awarded with the Lipper Fund Awards. This year, our biotechnology equity fund got full marks in Germany over a time period of five years, compared to all other international biotechnology funds.
Gerhard Beulig, fund manager and responsible for the YOU INVEST line, expects capital markets to remain highly volatile for a while. The central banks are trapped by their own extreme interest rate policy; interest rates therefore remain at practically zero percent for short-term investments, with no trend reversal in sight. Investors who want to earn […]
The Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) further loosened its monetary policy on 10 March 2016. In view of the decline of the leading economic indicators and the excessively low inflation in the Eurozone, the bundle of measures introduced by the ECB is necessary. But, to paraphrase Mohamed El-Erian, the expansive central bank policy […]
The economic indicators are falling but do not suggest a recession. The central banks are implementing expansive measures in order to fight deflation risks and to stabilise the financial markets. Hence, the data is slightly better than capital markets were expecting. This gives room for a little breather.
The United States are currently in the spotlight, given the primary elections for the US presidential election in November. But what does the US economy look like at the moment?
Earnings are key for equity investors, as also my colleague Harald Egger emphasized in this blog two weeks ago. This basic truth is even more relevant as usual at a time when a multi-year equity bull market has ended and a wobbly global economic backdrop is weighing on market sentiment. In this situation, corporate earnings […]
In an interview with PĂŠter Varga, Senior Fund Manager Erste Asset Management, I am discussing the chances and risks with investments in emerging markets corporate bonds. Many Investors feel unsettled by the weak performance of the emerging markets. Why is this the case?
Growth is weak, and the downside risks are elevated. However, in a pre-emptive move, the market has already priced in the materialisation of some of the risks. The current development would not immediately suggest it. A short-term phase of recovery on the equity markets would fit this picture. The past days and weeks have not […]
The international stock exchanges recorded a rather dismal start into the new year. The reasons cited most frequently were China and the declining oil price. A weaker Chinese economy will definitely register also on an international scale due to the mere size of the country. While a weaker oil price is beneficial to consumers, it […]
The losses on the stock exchanges and in other risky asset classes unsettle investors. The additional expansive signals sent by the central bank support markets, albeit only by a minor degree. From an economic perspective there are no convincing signs for a trend reversal. The current correction is due to permanently low growth and to […]
Interview with Peter Szopo, equity strategist Erste Asset Management (EAM) and Andreas Rieger, fund manager of ESPA STOCK GLOBAL ESPA STOCK GLOBAL is an actively managed equity fund that invests in selected single stocks from around the world. In the last year the fund gained 14.31%, over the last five years the annualized performance was […]
The price declines on the equity markets at the beginning of the year suggest a decline in investor confidence. Is this justified? Please find a few hypotheses for 2016 in the following:
Capital markets experienced significant price fluctuations in 2015. While euro government bonds recorded a relatively good performance contrary to expectations, riskier bond segments such as high-yield corporate bonds were disappointing. Regionally speaking, stock exchanges recorded a very mixed set of performances. Emerging markets such as China and Brazil ended up on the disappointing side, whereas […]
On 3 December the European Central Bank loosened its monetary policy further. The reaction from the markets was that of disappointment, as assets had had more extensive measures priced in.
A young father is always pressed for time. What he needs is in particular is a good strategy. One of my strategies in selecting reading material is to just wait. Time will tell what is interesting and what is not. Which is why last week I read a book that had come out in 2011: […]
With the current outcome, the uncertainties in Turkish economies are off the table. AKP (governing party Justice and Development) will now have 316 seats in the parliament. This is enough to form a single party government, still, it falls short of constitutional majority – the most market friendly outcome. There will be a positive sentiment […]
The US central bank Fed hinted at an increase of the Fed funds rate in December at its meeting on 28 October. A bias towards such an increase is referred to as tightening bias. If the economic data permit it, the Fed will increase the Fed funds rate from practically zero percent. The extent and […]
Turkish early elections to be held on 1 November, 2015; and once more, the market is waiting for a positive outcome. Neither the country nor the market has more tolerance to absorb any further political uncertainty; however, the election outcome may not be too different from the results back in June 2015. Nevertheless, this time […]
The arguments supporting a further rise in share prices have become stronger. The important central banks have been sending expansive signals in recent weeks, i.e. signals that support the economy and the markets. The latest measure was the statement made by the president of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, at the ECB press […]
Are we now on the other side of the recent price decline in the risky asset classes? Global equities, bonds with default risk, and emerging markets have been recording significant gains. Has the fundamental situation improved, or had the assets excessively negative events priced in?
Only in a few months we will likely know, whether the bull market that started in mid-2009 really ended in the summer of 2015. What we know, however, is that the headwinds that have emerged in recent months will not recede anytime soon. Another challenging quarter, it seems, lies ahead of equity investors.
The beginning of Q4 is the time for an outlook on the coming year. At first we want to establish the determining factors for the economic activity and the markets. On this basis, we will introduce three scenarios.
The current refugee crisis is immense. Estimates expect more than a million people to apply for asylum this year in the European Union; i.e. we are talking about 0.2% in terms of total population. This would suggest that the immigration can be handled if all the countries cooperate.
Interest rate decision by the Fed Tomorrow, Thursday 17 September 2015, the federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the US central bank Fed will be taking an important decision. Is the Fed funds rate to be raised or not? The financial markets have accorded this decision a particularly important role. After all, the rate hike […]
Earlier this year the president of the ECB said we would have to get used to elevated levels of volatility. And it is true, the market environment has changed. The years 2009 to 2014 were subject to an asset price reflation regime. High rates of return were coupled with low volatility. This relationship has now […]
We are almost approaching the end of the summer but it looks like we are back to April 2015 in Turkey. The election outcome and aftermath did not work as politicians had desired and the efforts to form a government have failed so far.
Market correction Equities, bonds affected by default risk, commodities, and emerging markets currencies are currently subject to corrections, which, noticeably, have now gone beyond the purview of emerging markets: while the emerging markets equity index declined by almost 6% (Performance-Data Source: Bloomberg, MSCI) last week, the index for developed markets lost 5.3% (Performance-Data Source: Bloomberg, […]
On 11 August China devalued its currency by 1.9% relative to the US Dollar and announced that in the future it would expose the exchange rate of the Renminbi to the forces of supply and demand on the foreign exchange market. In a press conference the Central Bank did say, however, that it would continue […]
If you thought âquarterlyâ was a simple adverb characterizing a regularly recurring activity, you may need to reconsider. A new term is making the rounds: âquarterly capitalismâ â and in this context, âquarterlyâ stands for âshort-term, myopic, greedy and dysfunctionalâ. In fact, the term was already invented four years ago by Dominic Barton of McKinsey […]
Commodity prices have fallen drastically since the beginning of July. The commodity price index provided by Bloomberg has fallen by nearly 12%. In fact, many commodity prices are locked in a bear market. The index is currently almost 50% below the level of the beginning of 2011. Over the same period the currencies of emerging […]
Global GDP growth has probably only increased marginally in Q2 after the very weak Q1. Economic activity has thus remained disappointingly weak on a global scale.
In searching for a perfect example of a sideways market one does not need to look further than at Central and Eastern European (CEE) equity markets. The CECE Composite, a Euro-based index of 23 Polish, Czech and Hungarian blue-chips (Bloomberg: CECEEUR), has been range bound for nearly four years, rarely trading outside a narrow range […]
The negotiations between Iran and the UN veto powers plus Germany were concluded successfully on Tuesday, 14 July. Iran will curtail its nuclear programme. In exchange, the international economic sanctions will be reduced. The result is remarkable in so far as the interests of the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council […]
The stock exchanges have been moving sideways and down for weeks. There are of course enough uncertainty factors such as the Greek crisis, the correction on the Chinese stock exchange, and the expected interest rate increase in the USA that can serve as explanation. However, one factor that has (so far) been left out of […]
Last Sunday, the Greek people decided with a clear majority to follow the proposal of their government. With 61.3%, the No camp rejected the conditions of the expired adjustment program. Thereby, Greece is one step closer to an exit from the Eurozone and the European Union.
