Light and shadow

Light and shadow
Light and shadow
© iStock.com
Share post:

The environment has become a bit brighter in the past weeks.

In addition to the improvement of the economic environment in the Eurozone and Japan, more and more central banks loosened their monetary policies. For example, on 12 February the central bank of Sweden (Riksbank) surprisingly cut its key-lending rate to -0.1% and announced to buy small volumes of government bonds. The reason behind this measure is the same as for similar steps taken by other central banks: the risk of falling short of the inflation target has increased. The markets reacted in a textbook-fashion with falling yields and a depreciating currency (krona). Both are supportive to the economy. On the financial markets the continuously falling and partially even negative yields of government bonds have pushed investors into securities with a higher expected yield (bonds with longer maturities, bonds with a higher default risk, bonds in foreign currencies, shares).

In addition, the oil price has stabilised after the strong decline in the past months. This helps those asset classes that have recently come under pressure such as for example corporate bonds with low ratings in the USA.

On the downside, it is mainly four developments that have started drawing investors’ attention:

  1. The conflict of the West and Ukraine with Russia: at the very least, an armistice has been reached. Also, Ukraine will receive further financial aid from the West if it makes structural reforms a top priority.
  2. The conflict of Greece with the troika (EU Commission, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund). It seems like we are heading for a last-minute showdown. Greece rejects both the current bailout-programme, which includes austerity measures, and the troika, and does not want to pay back the part of debt that is held by the public sector in full. The troika, on the other hand, does not see much need for adjustments and insists on austerity and structural reforms.
  3. The increased probability of an increase in the Fed funds rate in the USA due to the solid growth of the economy and the significant rise in employment. A surprising rate hike could have negative short-term effects on the global economy and the financial market.
  4. A further deterioration of the outlook for global economic growth in Latin America. The consensus expects an economic growth rate of only 0.8% y/y for the region in 2015. The focus is on Brazil: the high budget deficit forces the government to impose austerity measures, the high inflation forces the central bank to increase key-lending rates, the falling commodity prices have curtailed income, and the currency is overvalued.

Overall the supporting factors have increased for risky asset classes. However, the risks remain elevated.

Equity weighting remains unchanged
The equity weighting remains unchanged from last month in spite of the fact that the assessment of the equity markets has deteriorated slightly.

In fixed income, the fund management team reduced the money market allocation and instead stepped up the weighting of US corporate bonds with good and very good ratings. US high-yield bonds and global government bonds were newly taken into the portfolio.

Overall the environment for financial markets has become a bit brighter, but the risk remains elevated (please refer also to Gerhard Winzer’s article).

RESPOND TO THE ARTICLE

Legal disclaimer

This document is an advertisement. Unless indicated otherwise, source: Erste Asset Management GmbH.Our languages of communication are German and English.

The prospectus for UCITS (including any amendments) is published in Amtsblatt zur Wiener Zeitung in accordance with the provisions of the InvFG 2011 in the currently amended version.Information for Investors pursuant to § 21 AIFMG is prepared for the alternative investment funds (AIF) administered by Erste Asset Management GmbH pursuant to the provisions of the AIFMG in connection with the InvFG 2011. The fund prospectus, Information for Investors pursuant to § 21 AIFMG, and the Key Information Document can be viewed in their latest versions at the web site www.erste-am.com within the section mandatory publications or obtained in their latest versions free of charge from the domicile of the management company and the domicile of the custodian bank. The exact date of the most recent publication of the fund prospectus, the languages in which the Key Information Document is available, and any additional locations where the documents can be obtained can be viewed on the web site www.erste-am.com. A summary of investor rights is available in German and English on the website www.erste-am.com/investor-rights as well as at the domicile of the management company.

The management company can decide to revoke the arrangements it has made for the distribution of unit certificates abroad, taking into account the regulatory requirements.

Detailed information on the risks potentially associated with the investment can be found in the fund prospectus or Information for investors pursuant to § 21 AIFMG of the respective fund. If the fund currency is a currency other than the investor's home currency, changes in the corresponding exchange rate may have a positive or negative impact on the value of his investment and the amount of the costs incurred in the fund - converted into his home currency.

This document serves as additional information for our investors and is based on the knowledge of the staff responsible for preparing it at the time of preparation. Our analyses and conclusions are general in nature and do not take into account the individual needs of our investors in terms of earnings, taxation, and risk appetite. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of the future performance of a fund.