As oil prices fall to the lowest in at least six weeks, OPEC, Russia, and other large producers prepare to meet in Vienna this week. According to Daryl Liew, head of portfolio management at Reyl Singapore, markets believe that an increase in oil production will be decided.
We are seeing significant demand for green bonds, says Christopher Wigley of Mirova
Despite all the political noise around the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement, a lot of sovereigns in the U.S. are issuing green bonds. According to Christopher Wigley, senior fixed income portfolio manager at Mirova, supply and demand is growing. Hong Kong, for example, announced the world’s largest sovereign green bonds program this march.
„Investment is very risky now,“ says Pyrford CEO Tony Cousins
After a decade of market stimulation by the central banks, equity valuations have been driven to quite extraordinary levels, says Tony Cousins, CEO of asset manager Pyrford. As he explained in an interview with CNNMoney Switzerland, after central banks in the US and Europe announced their retreat from quantitative easing, valuations have become more vulnerable.
SNB’s Andréa Maechler: Borrowers have to be „very careful“
Andréa Maechler, member of the governing board of the Swiss National Bank, warns investors about the risk of a price correction on the residential property market. The national bank is asking for measures to cool down that market. But first Maechler explains why the SNB hasn’t moved on interest rates, even if growth is strong and the Fed and the ECB have started to normalize their own monetary policies. And she also has some thoughts on our own SNB challenge.
„The ECB made central banking in Europe a very boring affair,“ says Geraldine Sundstrom of PIMCO
After the monetary policy announcements from the SNB, the Fed, and the ECB, Geraldine Sundstrom, a managing director and portfolio manager at PIMCO, sees the Fed in the lead. It’s the only central bank that has room to maneuver. According to Sundstrom, European central banks may have reacted too slowly at the beginning of the crisis.
„It’s difficult for the SNB to act much before the ECB,“ argues Lombard Odier’s chief economist
Ahead of the Swiss National Bank meeting, Samy Chaar, chief economist at Lombard Odier, participates in our SNB challenge. Like most of his peers, he expects the SNB to raise interest rates in September 2019. But first he starts by talking about the U.S.-China trade war and what is at stake for Swiss businesses.
Food is more and more local and Swiss SMEs can take advantage of it, says Ronald Wildmann
Ronald Wildmann of Research Partners explains how companies such as Orior, Hochdorf, and Bell are taking advantage of the new trends in the food market, in Switzerland and abroad. Wildmann also says that those companies remain untouched by the trade dispute taking place between the U.S. and China, but that margins remain under pressure.
Swiss public „aware of high costs of the health care system“
Despite the high costs, a recent survey by gfs.bern and Interpharma shows that the Swiss are not willing to change their health care system. According to Alexander Frind, project manager at gfs.bern, people generally do not perceive the high costs as a problem.
Luxury industry expert on why the global sell-off hit Richemont and Swatch
Luxury expert Scilla Huang Sun of GAM Investments sees growth ahead for luxury companies like Swatch and Richemont despite the recent drop in share price. This is because millennials are driving growth in the luxury sector, with luxury companies increasingly embracing digitalization and looking at how to attract this new demographic.
„A weaker oil price will be beneficial for most Asian markets,“ says Daryl Liew of Reyl Singapore
As oil prices fall to the lowest in at least six weeks, OPEC, Russia, and other large producers prepare to meet in Vienna this week. According to Daryl Liew, head of portfolio management at Reyl Singapore, markets believe that an increase in oil production will be decided.
„A sharp slowdown in Europe is an issue,“ Norman Villamin of UBP
With more trade discussions on the way and Brexit still unresolved, Europe could face a slowdown. Nevertheless, Norman Villamin, Chief Investment Officer at UBP, still believes in growth for the eurozone.
„We are still risk on,“ says Antoine Lesne of State Street Global Advisors
According to Antoine Lesne, head of SPDR ETF strategy and research at State Street Global, a good 80 percent of the capital inflows in ETF this year have been into those investing in equities. When it comes to inflows in bond markets, the focus is on bonds with a shorter duration.
