Current market information and expert opinions 📈🌍📉
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 👉
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 – 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 – 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.
The representatives of the Democrats and the Republicans have reached an agreement in the dispute over the debt ceiling in the USA. The cap of $31,400 billion is to be suspended until 2025. Subject to approval in the House of Representatives and Congress, the agreement is positive for the financial markets. However, another effect could weigh on the markets further down the line.
Global growth is likely to cool significantly in the second quarter. At the same time, recession risks remain uncomfortably high, as Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer writes in his market commentary. The further course of negotiations on the US debt ceiling is also likely to cause tension on the market.
The volatility of bonds has increased significantly and is clearly higher than that of equities. What are the reasons for this difference in development?
The cloud business of the leading tech companies continues to boom. However, many see the future primarily in the potential applications of artificial intelligence. With billions in investments, Google parent Alphabet and software giant Microsoft want to take a leading role in the trendy topic of AI.
How much longer will the sideways trend on the stock markets last? Negative and positive factors balance each other out. One unresolved issue among many is the U.S. debt ceiling.
With the ERSTE REAL ASSETS mixed fund, investors can invest in real assets – and have indeed been doing so for two years now. On the occasion of the fund’s two-year anniversary, Philip Schifferegger, fund manager of ERSTE REAL ASSETS, is taking a look at the current market situation. He also explains why the fund is well equipped for both positive and negative market phases.
ERSTE IMMOBILIENFONDS is celebrating its 15th anniversary this month. The portfolio now comprises 85 properties in 10 cities with real estate assets of around EUR 2 billion. In this interview, Peter Karl, CEO of ERSTE Immobilien KAG, talks about the development of the fund and the challenges on the real estate markets in the face of rising interest rates and high inflation.
Most recently, central banks have signaled a somewhat less sharpish stance, as an effect of the rapid key rate hikes on the monetary environment has already become visible. However, recent economic data are dampening hopes for a rapid decline in inflation, as Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer explains in his market commentary.
Last weekend, for the third time in two months, a US bank found itself in turmoil. After Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) slid into crisis in March after customers withdrew billions in funds, First Republic Bank has now been hit. A look at the history books shows that banking crises and bank runs have happened time and again. However, the lessons learned from them helped to make the banking system more robust and stable.
The Greek sovereign debt crisis is now more than 10 years old. Many observers saw this event as the starting point of a never-ending story. However, if one looks at the recent past, Greece convinced with positive aspects. Many see the upcoming parliamentary elections on May 21 as the last major obstacle to regaining the country’s investment grade rating.
The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies sees the economies of Eastern Europe on a growth path. The bottom seems to have been reached. Now investing in the region’s leading companies?
The annual Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank bring together high-ranking representatives from business, the financial sector and politics. Fund manager
Tolgahan Memişoğlu reports on his impressions.
The global economy grew strongly in the first quarter of 2023. At the same time, inflation remains too high, which is why central banks will continue to pursue a restrictive monetary policy. Although growth indicators are good to strong, there are therefore increased risks of recession.
The hot phase of Turkey’s election campaign has begun, with parliamentary and presidential elections to be held simultaneously in the country on 14 May. In addition to the consequences of the earthquake disaster in early February, the Turkish citizens are also suffering from the massive inflation.
Putting money aside is important. But it is equally important for said money to potentially earn a return. This is where the fund savings plan comes in.
Since the banking problems in the US emerged in March, share prices have risen and expectations for future key interest rates have fallen significantly. However, inflation dynamics remain the most important factor for the markets, but unfortunately also one that is difficult to assess.
Despite the recent turmoil in the banking sector, both companies and the global economy are currently proving to be extremely robust. Read more about the current market environment in the commentary by Gerald Stadlbauer, Head of Discretionary Portfolio Management at Erste AM.
The OPEC+ oil cartel’s member countries surprised the markets with an unexpected production cut announcement early this week, causing a surge in crude oil prices. The cuts were a “precautionary measure aimed at supporting the stability of the oil market,” OPEC+ said.
Inflation, coupled with restrictive central bank measures and recession worries, continue to keep the markets busy. This is also shown by a look at some important financial charts.
The current crisis of confidence continues to dominate market activity and has significantly increased uncertainty about the future development of economic indicators. Read more in the current market commentary by Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer.
The effects of the takeover of the faltering major Swiss bank Credit Suisse by its competitor UBS are spreading far and wide. The risk of a recession has increased. Will the interest rate hikes soon be coming to an end?
The Swiss bank Credit Suisse came under pressure on Wednesday after uncertainty spread among investors. The experts from our Investment Division provide an overview.
The turbulences surrounding the US Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) are currently keeping the markets busy. After the bank was closed last Friday, a comprehensive package of measures followed over the weekend to avoid possible consequences. In this blog post, the experts of our Investment Division explain what exactly happened and how they assess the situation.
Last week brought good, bad and inflation-fighting news, all from the US. At the start of the new trading week, the focus is on the turbulence surrounding Silicon Valley Bank.
The EU and the USA want to focus more on Latin America as an important economic partner. Most recently, the chances of concluding the EU’s long-planned trade agreement with the Latin American Mercosur free trade zone have also increased.
Last week, positive economic data brought back some confidence. The global purchasing managers’ index, one of the most important survey-based economic reports, rose for the third time in a row. On the other hand, the latest inflation reports dampen hopes of a rapid decline in inflation without additional key rate hikes.
In July, the ERSTE RESPONSIBLE STOCK GLOBAL fund will celebrate its 20th anniversary. During its history so far, the fund has achieved a highly successful performance while the world of sustainable investments has changed fundamentally.
ChatGPT has made headlines in recent months and is seeing rapid user growth. What is behind this tech innovation and how are the major technology companies reacting to this new trend?
Inflation, which remains too high, continues to be the dominant macroeconomic issue. Hopes that inflation will fall as quickly as it has risen have been dampened, as Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer explains in his market commentary.
One year after the start of the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine, the economic impact is felt around the globe. Naturally, the economic damage in Ukraine itself is devastating.
Central banks and markets are in a calibration phase. The question is how many key rate hikes are needed to be able to confidently expect inflation to fall in the direction of 2%. Particular attention is therefore once again being paid to the US inflation data, which will be published today, Tuesday.
Besides artificial intelligence, the Metaverse continues to be one of the big future topics in the tech industry. Our expert Harald Egger gives an insight into what the metaverse actually is and what possible areas of application there are.
The microfinance market also faced a variety of challenges in 2022. Despite the difficult environment, however, the global market continued to grow dynamically. The ERSTE RESPONSIBLE MICROFINANCE also developed positively in the previous year compared with the global equity and bond markets.
On the stock markets, the first month of the year was positive. The recent softer tones of the central banks give rise to hopes that interest rate hikes are slowly coming to an end. Read more about the current market assessment in our Investment Update.
After the lifting of the Corona restrictions, mighty China is back on track for growth. Also the global economy is benefiting from this. In any case, the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock exchanges started the “Year of the Rabbit” on a positive note.
Forbes Magazine ranked Clemens Klein, fund manager of ERSTE WWF STOCK ENVIRONMENT, as one of the top ten fund managers of the German-speaking region. In our interview, he talks about the investment strategy and philosophy of the fund.
Improved growth prospects for China and Europe and hopes of a sustained decline in inflation have supported the markets since the beginning of the year. However, sharp central bank rhetoric and weak growth indicators in the USA could prove to be spoilers.
Corporate bond yields are now back at attractive levels. In his article, senior fund manager Hannes Kusstatscher explains what this means and how the situation on the bond market could develop.
At present, indicators on inflation and economic activity are competing to determine which of the two categories is more important for the financial market. Read more in the current market commentary by Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer.
After a three-year pandemic break, the technology industry returned to the renowned electronics trade show CES in Las Vegas. The dominant topics were artificial intelligence and virtual reality. However, extensive staff reduction programs at major tech companies also made headlines recently.
Yields on corporate bonds in both the investment grade and high-yield segments have risen significantly in recent months. This means that there are currently interesting entry levels again.
Our expert Johann Griener explains in his blogpost how to take advantage of this opportunity with a corporate bond fund.
Despite uncertainties, the stock and bond markets got off to a friendly start in the new year. In the USA, economic data recently surprised on the upside. Is the situation better than the mood?
Technological advantages and cost reductions have dramatically changed the environment for green hydrogen production. Our fund managers Clemens Klein and Alexander Weiss report on their journey to an exciting company in this industry.
Interest rates are back, which means that investing in bonds and bond funds again offers opportunities for attractive returns. Our expert Johann Griener explains how a bond fund works and what you should bear in mind when investing.
The previous year was marked by unexpectedly high inflation and rapid key interest rate hikes – but what will the new year bring?
In his article, Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer presents ten topics that could be particularly relevant for the financial markets in 2023.
In the past year, numerous trouble spots preoccupied the markets. In his market commentary, Gerald Stadlbauer, Head of Discretionary Portfolio Management, gives an outlook on what 2023 might bring.
After many years of low interest rates, the tide has turned in recent months. This is also creating some opportunities on the bond market again, as our expert Johann Griener explains in his article.
The turn of the year marked the end of a difficult and lossy year on the stock markets. After two years of Corona pandemic, 2022 was dominated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with many stock exchanges suffering double-digit losses.
How the yield curve of a bond looks depends on several factors. In his article, fund manager Tolgahan Memişoğlu explains what this means and why yield curves could become steeper again in the future.
