Latest Posts
ERSTE GREEN INVEST’s one-year anniversary: megatrend green technologies
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 made in the USA
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.
Erste Asset Management financial markets outlook for the second half of 2021
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.
Is this the end of the reflation trade?
Inflation peaked in the US and the eurozone in May and has declined from there. Long term yields fell and lowered real yields. How could this happen?
Oil prices climb to multi-year highs after OPEC negotiations fail
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.
Big Big Data
When it comes to series streaming, online shopping and sports, data accompanies us through our daily lives. Even in the economy, forecasts are made on the basis of data analysis. How does Big Data create opportunities for the future??
Falling economic momentum is not bad news
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.
5 years after the Brexit referendum: UK on the path to recovery in turbulent times
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.
The Fed is a dove
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.
Erste Asset Management pulls the plug on coal on 1 July
We are pulling the plug on coal, abstaining from investments in companies that operate in the fields of coal mining or the production of electricity or fuel from coal from 1 July 2021 onwards.
G7 countries agree climate targets, vaccination programmes and China policy
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.
China bonds in demand for mixed funds
China as a third pole. The reasons why fund managers expect China government bonds in mixed funds to generate more return and at the same time provide better diversification.
Erste Group is first financial institution to commit to the European Commission’s Green Consumption Pledge
As the first financial institution in Europe, Erste Group has joined the European Commission’s Green Consumption Pledge initiative to accelerate its contribution to a sustainable economic recovery. The Green Consumption Pledge is the first initiative delivered under the New Consumer Agenda and part of the European Climate Pact.
Covid vaccinations: Apathy follows euphoria
If you ask around in your own circle of acquaintances, you will find that the vaccination coverage rate is now significant. In Austria, it seems, everyone who really wants a vaccination has already received at least a partial vaccination – regardless of prioritization, age or medical history. The EU vaccination rate lags about 6 weeks […]
DAX set to break all-time high thanks to economic recovery as election year autumn approaches
Germany has awakened from its pandemic “deep sleep”, and the economy is picking up speed in an election year. Investments related to the reduction of greenhouse gases could give a strong boost to innovative companies in the DAX and at European level.
Equities and the inflation scare
The strong economic recovery and positive corporate results are fueling concerns about the emergence of inflation. But are these fears justified? Erste Asset Management equity expert Tamas Menyhart analyzes the situation on the stock exchanges and shows ways of guarding against inflation.
Rapid recovery in the developed world
The global economy is caught between a strong recovery and inflation fears. Despite low risk premiums, Erste AM Chief Economist Gerhard Winzer continues to see opportunities for equities as long as bond yields rise less than corporate earnings growth rates. Read more in his blog analysis.
Financial Markets: robo investment vs. human judgment
It is impossible not to notice the rising interest in algorithm-based investing. Fund manager Mikuláš Splítek argues the case of whether a robo-advisor or human judgment is better to beat the market.
Sell in May and …
.. go away, but don’t forget to come back in September. This is an old stock market adage that most investors probably know. There are loads of those, and this is among the most popular ones. Our Head of Global Strategies & Research, Alexander Sikora-Sickl explains what’s behind it.
Banks, IT companies and car manufacturers report profit gains in Q1
The reporting season is drawing to a close. Most of the companies listed on the stock exchange exceeded analysts’ estimates. The outlook for the future is also optimistic.
Sustainable income with “double dividends”
Comfortably making return on the money market via interest? A thing of the past. Investors wanting to outsmart inflation should think about dividends and dividend shares. The combination of dividend shares with a selection process that takes into account ESG criteria constitutes an interesting investment alternative. So there is a kind of “two dividends”.
Global semiconductor shortage continues to pose challenge for automotive and electronics sectors
The global shortage of semiconductors is causing problems for car manufacturers and the computer industry. Trends such as the digitalisation of working life or autonomous driving are likely to increase demand even more. Technology shares are in demand.
Has gold lost its shimmer?
After a strong increase in the last 5 years, the gold price has weakened recently. Will demand for the precious metal increase again?
Impact investing: a new strategy for overcoming environmental challenges
Impact investments are currently hot property in the financial sector. Impact funds are investments that are meant to generate positive, measurable social and environmental effects in addition to financial return.
Saving the world with an impact fund?
Can sustainable investment change the world? What is impact investing, and what does Erste AM offer in this respect? Do only sustainable investors make an impact, or do all investments have an impact on the future? Impact funds – the cherry on the cake of sustainable investing? For a long time, it would be up […]
Sustainable finance – an (overdue) act of re-orientation?
In general terms, impact investments are investments that bring societal benefits on top of financial yield. This topic therefore offers a great opportunity to talk to experts about the effects of investments on society. This is why Erste Asset Management also has an internal forum, where ESG topics, sustainability aspects, and climate risks are periodically […]
Focus on ESG risk – the EU approach
From the coldest winter in Beijing’s recorded history to the storm in Texas that surprised the world – extreme weather phenomena remind us again and again of the invasion of climate change into our daily routine. Climate risk can no longer be ignored and has to be taken into account in asset management as well. […]
Changes to the investment universe, March 2021 – June 2021
Actual / nominal 2.100 Admitted Aker Horizons AS (sector: renewable electricity (renewable energy)), ESGenius score 53 (03/2021); invests in, and develops, companies in the field of renewable energy and other technologies that contribute crucially to the reduction of CO2 emissions. Majority investments in the listed companies Aker Carbon Capture AS and Aker Offshore Wind AS […]
Social impact via engagement
Impact investment More and more investors want to invest their money responsibly and sustainably – not only to create additional inflows, but also to create an “impact”. As a result, the demand for so-called impact funds has increased substantially in recent years. Especially young people, who until very recently had little interest in investment funds, […]
Impact bonds are here to stay
It started with the first climate awareness bonds of the European Investment Bank. Even back then, the issue proceeds were earmarked for explicitly sustainable projects of the supranational bank. In recent years, the volume of such bonds has increased rapidly. The issue volume rose from USD 300bn in 2019 to USD 500bn in 2020. The […]
Hedge fund Archegos Capital’s default causing a big stir
Hedge funds have often been talked about in the past because a failure of their sometimes risky investment strategies can trigger chain reactions in the financial industry and the markets, as was the case recently with Archegos Capital. But hedge funds often take on an important role with their alternative investment strategies. Read more on our blog.
How are global equity markets doing?
The global stock markets got off to a strong start into the new year and continued to gain, which means that the bull market has now lasted for almost a year. However, the market structure has changed significantly in the past few months. Our equity expert Tamás Menyhart analyzes the current situation.
Are dividend shares “in” or “out”?
Dividend shares have been sidelined by investors in recent years. At the moment, however, their valuation is significantly more attractive than that of the Growth segment, making them worth a serious consideration.
New turbulences in Turkey
Erste Asset Management fund manager Anton Hauser, specialist for emerging markets bonds, analyses the status quo of the Turkish financial markets after the surprising dismissal of the Turkish central bank governor by President Erdogan.
What does the term “SPAC” mean?
A differently designed path to the stock exchange has gained in importance since 2020. The term for this is SPAC (“Special Purpose Acquisition Company”). What’s behind it?
US and Europe restarting joint efforts in fight against climate change
The USA and the EU are back on the same page as new President Joe Biden takes office. The new US climate envoy John Kerry, on his first visit to Brussels in this role, underlined the importance of the renewed climate alliance with Europe. “We are committed to renewing our strong alliance in the fight against the climate crisis,” the former US Secretary of State said in a joint statement with EU representatives last Wednesday.
The EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and its impact
Today the EU Disclosure Regulation comes into force. This is intended to create transparency with regard to the inclusion of sustainability risks in financial investment products. What does the regulation include and what do we do as a fund company?
Yield curve management
In recent days, equities and other risky asset classes have come under pressure despite the fact that in the year to date the optimism about an economic recovery has been on the rise. Is that a case of “buy the rumour, sell the fact”? Had the good news already been priced into the market? Or is there another mechanism that could be driving the future development?
Emerging Markets corporate bonds: sustainability turns into a factor of success for investments
Corporate bonds from emerging markets: environmental focus and calling out companies on their sustainability efforts are turning into a success factor. Senior professional fund manager Péter Varga explains the latest trends and developments.
Hopes for upswing continue to drive oil and industrial metal prices higher
Hopes for an economic recovery, but also the latest inflation fears, have recently fuelled the price rally on the commodity markets, with prices for crude oil and industrial metals continuing to soar. Several metal prices recently rose to multi-year highs.
How are stock markets currently reacting to increases in yields?
Central bank targets for inflation may be met earlier than expected in some countries. This environment has led to an increase in government bond yields. We explain how it came about.
China 2021 – the year of the ox
2021 is the year of the ox, which is associated with strength, harvests and fertility. After the turbulent year 2020, there are good reasons to look forward to returning to normalcy and development in the year of the ox. This is particularly true for China.
EU Commission lowers growth forecasts for 2021, but is more optimistic for 2022
In view of the still rampant Corona pandemic, the EU Commission has recently lowered its growth forecasts for 2021. With the delays in some EU countries’ vaccination programmes, the lockdowns could also drag on, delaying the expected economic recovery, the Commission argues.
“Environmentally friendly technologies will be growing for years”
Technologies – and, in particular, environmentally friendly ones – were THE big narrative on the stock exchanges last year. The upward trend of these companies continues in view of the clear political cues. Interview with Clemens Klein, Senior Professional Fund Manager.
What are the characteristics of a good sustainability fund?
The strong market growth in recent years of sustainable investment products has produced a variety of investment strategies that makes it hard to recognise such investments at first glance. Is there any relief in times where every player on the financial market is talking about sustainability? Guest commentary by Roland Kölsch, Qualitätssicherungsgesellschaft Nachhaltiger Geldanlagen.
GameStop – what is a short squeeze?
The stock of the computer game seller GameStop has become synonymous with the trial of strength between retail investors and large hedge funds. Head of Global Strategies & Research Alexander Sikora-Sickl explains the situation and the term short squeeze
What is behind the skyrocketing performance of Bitcoin?
Bitcoin has achieved an average performance of 142% p.a. in the past five years. Some criticise the high level of volatility but forget about the potential. Many wonder whether, after the dramatic increase, one could still enter the market or whether that ship has sailed. In the following article Crypto Asset Specialist Harald Egger discusses the reasons that have led to the rally of Bitcoin in recent months.
Tokens and coins: how cryptocurrencies differ from each other
According to industry sources, all of the Cryptocurrencies combined recently hit the $ 1,000Billion. Our Senior Research Analyst Harald Egger goes into the individual coins and tokens that are currently in circulation.
US earnings season gets off to a positive start, Netflix with record figures
On the world’s stock exchanges, earnings season in the USA is being followed with great interest. During this period, almost all major listed US companies report on their past financial quarter and give an outlook for the coming year.
USA: Clear sailing for Joe Biden’s economic programme after winning Senate majority
After the Democrats’ success in the Senate run-off elections in the US State of Georgia, the party now has the de-facto majority in both chambers of Congress, and therefore US President-elect Joe Biden should soon have much more leeway for implementing his economic policy programmes.