Ronald Wuijster, chief executive of APG Asset Management, argues that fragmented capital markets and risk aversion are crimping investment opportunities in Europe. But he still sees attractive deals in the quantum and biotechnology sectors.
Sharply declining populations in Europe, as well as countries like South Korea and Japan, have dramatic implications for economic growth and investment opportunities. Investors at FIS Oxford were warned that as depopulation occurs in certain areas, highly skilled workers will leave, creating a loss of services and fuelling political instability.
The global economy is running in a “paradigm vacuum” as the classical theories of marginal change, equilibrium and rational markets are breaking down. Amid the void, University of Oxford professor Eric Beinhocker said investors must seek new economic tools that reflect how the world actually works.
Asset owners have a wide selection of artificial intelligence tools that product providers tout as enhancements to their unlisted investment process, but leading private markets academic Ludovic Phalippou said the reality is not that simple. Not only can AI make mistakes, it can also be tricked.
As European countries increase defence spending, allocators are weighing up the risk and opportunity of allocating more to the sector. For some, investing in defence sits relatively comfortably with stakeholders but for others, investing “in things that kill people” remains a highly controversial conversation.
When global asset owners gathered at London’s historic Rosewood Hotel to gauge market sentiment and explore investment strategies and ideas, the tone was remarkably upbeat in a conversation that spanned currency strategies, the muted impact of geopolitics on asset prices, and the importance of managing human bias.
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