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.
Energy prices are going through the roof at the moment. The causes are both political and economic. Shares in the energy and commodities sector offer potential for further price increases.
Waves of infections will continue to influence economic activity and the markets. What will happen in China, what are the inflation risks and will it be volatile? Our chief economist Gerhard Winzer has drawn up 10 theses for the year 2022.
Italy is about to elect a new president of state. The election that will be held from 24 January 2022 in several ballots is going to determine the successor of the current, 80-year old President Sergio Mattarella, whose mandate expires in February 2022. This was announced by the president of the chamber of deputies of […]
We are now into the third year of the pandemic. Since the spring 2020 collapse, economic activity and markets have shown exceptional resilience. This is not to be taken for granted. After all, the list of potential negative influences (“challenges”) is long.
Interview with Dr. Manfred Frühwirth, Vienna University of Economic and Business Administration What is Behavioural Finance? Behavioural Finance is located at the interface of finance and psychology. As a rule, Behavioural Finance investigates how irrational behaviour (most often on the investors’ part) affects asset prices on the capital market. 2a) Are there any examples of […]
For the world’s stock markets, the second year of the coronavirus pandemic ended with partly spectacular gains. Which stock markets were the best in 2021? One thing should be said in advance: The Vienna Stock Exchange was among the top performers
The most common form of supranational financial institutions are development banks, whose shareholders are usually the founding states. Investors’ exposure to bonds issued by development banks allows them to finance local infrastructure or climate projects at lower cost, which ultimately benefits the local population.
Germany’s first federal government coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and the Green Party – called the “traffic light” coalition for the parties’ traditional colours – has now been in office for just under two weeks and is starting its planned renewal programme at the most difficult time imaginable. The train towards climate protection and renewable energies is picking up speed.
Just when it looked like a quiet end to the year on the stock markets, the emergence of Omicron shook investor confidence and led to a sell-off lasting several days. How has market optimism evolved since then? Our stock expert Tamás Menyhárt gives an outlook.
At 5.2% y/y, consumer price inflation for the OECD region reached the highest value in October since 1997. Has inflation peaked, or are we at the outset of a sustained period of high inflation?
On November 26, the traditional “Black Friday“ of discount deals in the US and many other countries officially kicks off the immensely important Christmas shopping season for many industries. However, with the trend towards online shopping accelerating with the Corona pandemic, how will this turn out this year?
The global view on inflation has turned completely since Spring 2020. While low inflation has been an issue between the Great Financial Crisis and the start of the pandemic, multi-year-highs in inflation were reached in Spring 2021. What will happen next?
Fund manager Felix Dornaus attended the autumn meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. His impressions of the outlook for emerging markets summed up here.
Funds marketing themselves as green investment do not always focus on companies that fight climate change, develop solar modules or recycle batteries. Instead, many of them look like traditional portfolios holding large tech companies – yet they wear green labels.
In recent years, we have seen dynamic growth emerging. It started with green bonds, which were then complemented by social bonds, sustainability bonds (a combination of environmental and social projects), and sustainability-linked bonds.
By integrating sustainable factors, we pursue social and environmental justice and have mechanisms and tools in place to avoid greenwashing. Our mission is also to align our sustainability approach with the investment needs of our clients to build a solid foundation for the future.
Crude oil prices continued to soar in the past week. The background to the oil price increases lies in the rising demand for oil combined with the ongoing economic recovery and fears of tight supply. The price surge in recent days was triggered by a drop in oil reserves reported by the US government on Wednesday.
In recent months, the risk of stagflation (the simultaneous occurrence of economic stagnation and inflation) has increased. Without the pandemic, output would be higher and inflation lower: bottlenecks in production and logistics have slowed economic activity and caused prices in the goods sector to rise sharply.
Two nearly simultaneous events surrounding social network behemoth Facebook have recently directed public attention towards the network’s impact and power, giving Facebook critics new momentum: After an outage of the most important Facebook services last Monday that lasted several hours, former Facebook employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen made serious accusations against the company before the US Senate the following day.
Global stock markets have fallen back from their all-time highs in recent weeks. What were the causes? What potential do the equity experts at Erste Asset Management see until the end of the year?
Falling economic indicators, anger in China and interest rate decisions by central banks are currently in the focus of the financial markets. Our chief economist Gerhard Winzer analyses the current situation.
Is there a solution to the current situation of real estate developer Evergrande? How high is the share of speculative real estate purchases in China, who profits and what Evergrande has to do with the 2008 financial crisis, explains Senior Professional Fund Manager Péter Varga.
Gas prices have soared in recent weeks. What are the reasons behind this? Will the planned increase in Norwegian gas supply bring the relief we have been longing for? Read more in our blog.
The economic boom of China has also been accompanied by a boom in the real estate industry over the past decades. The liquidity problems of the Chinese real estate developer Evergrande are heralding the end of the real estate boom in China.
In the long term, the quality of a company is also reflected in its share price. But what characterises quality and how can it be measured? And how can you invest in quality shares?
Germany is facing an exciting Bundestag election on 26 September 2021. The outcome is completely open, but it sets the course for economic policy. The successor of long-term Chancellor Angela Merkel will also influence decisions at European level.
Theranos was founded in 2003 by Elizabeth Holmes. The rise and subsequent trouble of the laboratory diagnostics company illustrates that usability does not suffice for the success of product and business ideas if the technological progress cannot keep up.
Exactly 20 years ago, on 11 September 2001, the USA was shaken by the worst terrorist attacks in its history. The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York claimed the lives of 3,000 people. They changed world politics. The effects are still a big issue today – keyword Afghanistan.
“The Great Transformation”: This was this year’s Forum Alpbach’s overarching motto for the talks and panel discussions among the assembled top politicians, economic leaders and scientists from around the world. Partly on-site and partly online, between 18 August and 3 September a total of 4,134 participants from 62 countries discussed possible ways out of the corona pandemic crisis and global future scenarios.
Yesterday, the Vienna Stock Exchange celebrated its 250th birthday. The “Wiener Börse” was founded by Empress Maria Theresa on 2 September, 1771, making it one of the oldest stock exchanges in the world. Erste Group has a long-running and close partnership with the Vienna Stock Exchange, an institution both rich in tradition and very much focused on the future.
The global economy is in the recovery phase of the cycle. Economic growth is well above the long-term trend, but headwinds have increased recently. What needs to happen to ensure that growth does not slow down? Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer analyses the prospects for the future.
The travel and tourism industry is continuing its recovery. The number of overnight stays increased noticeably in what is now the second Corona pandemic summer, and travel figures paint a similar picture. However, pre-Corona pandemic levels are still a long way off, and the recent strong spread of the delta variant of the virus is also an uncertainty factor.
Whether you want to buy a house or buy a car, many private consumers currently deal with soaring prices for materials and unpleasantly long delivery periods. This situation is directly reflected in commodity prices.
Bond funds are not always the “first choice” right now. The strong profits of listed companies and the orderly dividend payouts are currently outpacing interest income. If you are looking at performance, you have to look closely. Interview with Wolfgang Zemanek, Head of Bond Funds, Initial Asset Management.
Germany’s economy is back on a growth path after the pandemic dip at the beginning of the year. While service providers and retailers benefit from the relaxation of the Corona measures, the industry is being held back by material shortages and supply bottlenecks. How does the German stock index (DAX) react?
Car manufacturers are under pressure to meet the sharply increased demand for new cars. Many production lines were closed in the lockdowns. This is why individual parts are only now being re-produced and there are supply bottlenecks. What do microchips have to do with this and why are used cars so expensive in the US?
Green bonds are securities that are allocated to specific energy and environmental projects and are intended to contribute to a climate-friendly transformation of the economy. According to a study by the Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI), they reached a record level of $269. 5 billion in 2020. Sustainability-Linked Bonds represent a voluntary commitment for issuers. How exactly they work is explained in our analysis.
With their flights into space in July 2021, multi-billionaires Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson launched the era of commercial space tourism. Whether space travel can become a lucrative business remains to be seen.
The subjects of environment and technology have been occupied by brokers for years. This sector also has great growth potential in the coming years. Many companies are only at the beginning of a promising development.
ESG bonds are currently on the rise and are becoming an increasingly important part of corporate bonds. According to BofA Securities, 13. 5% of all new issues with ESG criteria were already issued globally in the first half of 2021. This trend is well established in Europe and is also increasing in the USA, as the following analysis shows.
Since the beginning of the year, the rapid recovery of the economy has mainly supported securities such as equities. But what happens next? Erste AM Managing Director Heinz Bednar and Head of Multi Asset Alexander Lechner explain how the second half of 2021 and especially our focus on sustainability will continue to develop in our outlook for the next six months.
The rise in oil and energy prices is fueling concerns about a burgeoning inflation. Behind the failure of the latest OPEC negotiations is also a political competition for influence and power in the Gulf region.
One of the most important economic indicators, the global purchasing managers index for the manufacturing sector, fell in June compared to the previous month. Is that bad news for risky asset classes like stocks? Our chief economist Gerhard Winzer analyzes the most important scenarios.
These days mark the 5th anniversary of the British vote to leave the European Union. How does the UK stand economically after the “Brexit”? What challenges still lie ahead for the country? What opportunities do investors have? Read more in today’s blog.
Equities have been weaker in recent days. This is largely due to concerns that sooner-than-expected interest rate increases in the USA could be detrimental to the financial market. Chief economist Gerhard Winzer explains why in the most likely case scenario, this will not be happening in the foreseeable future.
With renewed vigour, the heads of state of the G7 group of leading industrialised nations recently agreed climate targets, vaccination programmes for poor countries and a common front against China at their eponymous summit, held in the British resort of Carbis Bay.
