Junk bonds: are they really “trash”?

Junk bonds: are they really “trash”?

Markets
In the broad and intricate universe of bonds, junk bonds are one category among many. Junk bonds, also referred to as high-yield bonds or speculative bonds, represent one of the numerous categories of corporate debt securities: these are typically issued by companies or firms burdened with heavy debt or those carrying a speculative level rating (which are usually in a start-up phase). They offer higher interest rates compared to regular corporate bonds due to their increased risk and lower credit ratings. It is important to remember that, just because a security offers higher returns, it does not necessarily mean it is superior to others: there is a common misconception that higher risk always yields higher returns. The truth is, while there is indeed a positive correlation between risk and return,…
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Wall street opened 24/7: an opportunity or a threat?

Wall street opened 24/7: an opportunity or a threat?

Markets
A highly debated topic today concerns the possibility of keeping the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. As of today, only a consultation has been launched with the aim of making this idea legal and effective. Many investors hope that this is just the beginning of a process that will end with the implementation of such a rule in all markets worldwide, not just in Wall Street. This initiative prompts us to reflect on the real advantages of uninterrupted market opening, considering the increasingly strong competition from cryptocurrencies, which are open to trading without hourly and daily limits. It is still premature to express an opinion on the acceptance of this initiative, but we can highlight the advantages and disadvantages of continuous…
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Investments in AI

Investments in AI

Markets
Ever since the discovery of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, the attention towards Artificial Intelligence has now touched an all time high. With a burgeoning market valued at an estimated USD$200bn, many companies are pivoting towards the sector. Amongst the many firms investing in the market, the most important worth mentioning is Microsoft. Its strategic investments in AI have significantly enhanced its product offerings across its vast portfolio, further solidifying its position as a titan in the tech industry. After the USD$13bn invested in OpenAI, Microsoft has struck a deal with French artificial intelligence start-up Mistral AI as it seeks to broaden its involvement in the fast-growing industry. Born in April 2023 from ex DeepMind Arthur Mensch and ex Meta Timothée Lacroix and Guillaume Lample, the Paris based company is currently building both…
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Inflationary pressures easing faster in the Eurozone and implications of policy rate cuts

Inflationary pressures easing faster in the Eurozone and implications of policy rate cuts

Markets
Inflationary pressures easing faster in the Eurozone Inflation in the Eurozone is approaching the 2% target, reaching 2.4% in March, exceeding US forecasts. This has led investors to speculate that the ECB could cut interest rates before the FED does. Central bank policy rates are shown in figure 1.  Conversely, US inflation surpassed forecasts, rising from 2.4% in January to 2.5% in February. As a result, investors are revising down their expectations for rates cuts by the FED as Jay Powell stated that high US inflation may keep the bank from cutting rates, as previously anticipated. Powell explained that the rates will be lowered only when the FED will have greater confidence that inflation is moving steadily towards the target. Meanwhile, the ECB has announced its intention to reduce interest…
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The Future of Banks

The Future of Banks

Markets
Banking profits are rising thanks to the increase of the interest rates settled by the central banks, even if this positive result come from a particular economic environment due to the necessity to decrease inflation. Despite the positive year, recently, banks have faced period of negative tax of interest, liquidity woes and failure of banks like the Californian Silicon Valley bank, one of the largest hi-tech start-up financiers, and Credit Suisse, a multi-secular Swiss bank acquired by UBS. For this reason, Banca d’Italia Governor, Fabio Panetta, recalled to remain vigilant and keep focusing on the long-term target. As a matter of fact, banks need to adopt new technologies and features and especially implement artificial intelligence to their process as well as developing digital infrastructure. The graph below shows that banks…
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The Real Estate Landscape: the market and its evolution

The Real Estate Landscape: the market and its evolution

Markets
The commercial real estate market is regarded as a vital indicator for economic well-being, boosting the interconnection of factors including local economies, population growth, interest rates, and government regulations. Through this article, we will try to understand the complexities of the real estate industry, recalling the trends of the past year and looking forward to what is going to be its evolution. The Current Global Real Estate Market Today, the global real estate market is a massive phenomenon in world economy, destined to reach an astounding value of US$637.80 trillion by 2024, with residential real estate dominating at US$518.90 trillion. These figures, extracted from a STATISTA analysis on global real estate markets, underscore the strength of the market on a worldwide scale. The market is projected to grow at an…
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The challenge of Tod’s: The new PTO

The challenge of Tod’s: The new PTO

Markets
Tod’s is attempting to re-enter the market with a second public tender offer (PTO) after the failure of the first attempt in 2022, with a price per share of €40.00, not reaching the threshold set at 90%, forcing the group to withdraw the offer. The Della Valle brothers, Diego and Andrea, try again, supported by the private equity fund, L Catterton, participated by LVMH, on a percentage of 36% of Tod’s share’s, with the intention of obtaining delisting. The consequence of delisting is that the company will no longer be listed on Borsa Italiana S.p.A. and Tod’s ordinary shares will no longer be publicly traded on the Euronext Milan (EXM) segment. This move by Tod’s is not an isolated case, but rather, represents a trend of many companies showing this…
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Fashion industry and the impact of sustainability

Fashion industry and the impact of sustainability

Markets
The fashion Industry has always represented one of the world’s biggest manufacturing branches.  In 2021 it generated more than USD 2.5 trillion of global annual revenues, employing more than 300 million people along its value chain, as illustrated in the graph below. Apparel enterprises have always been a reference point in the process of underlining the trends of the global markets due to their capacity to shape society and affect the buying habits of consumers.  In 2021 the industry reached a record in terms of economic profit with a value of USD 1.73 tr, which was reconfirmed in 2022, even if slightly minor, with an amount of USD 1.53 tr. The ability of this sector to outperform challenges is mostly traceable to the strong demand that characterizes most of the segments,…
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Global Outlook 2024

Global Outlook 2024

Educational in Portfolio Management, Markets
Throughout 2023, the global economy has demonstrated greater resilience than expected, despite significant monetary tightening and persistent global political uncertainty.  While economic growth has generally exceeded expectations, this apparent robustness hides short-term risks and structural vulnerabilities. Against a backdrop of high debt levels, rising financing costs, low levels of investment, weak global trade and growing geopolitical risks, the outlook indicates that the global economy will grow at a below-average pace in 2024 and 2025. Forecasts indicate a slowdown in global growth from an estimated 2.7% in 2023 to 2.4% in 2024.  While there is a moderate improvement with growth expected to be 2.7% in 2025, this will remain below the rate of pre-pandemic growth of 3.0%.  After a rapid surge that lasted almost two years, global inflation fell significantly in…
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Economic Growth in India

Economic Growth in India

Markets
Since the 2014 election of Narendra Damodardas Modi as the new Prime Minister, India witnessed a significant growth, and it doesn’t plan on stopping. Today worldly renowned as one amongst the fastest growing countries, India has been able to position herself in the top five biggest economies since 2019. As of last year alone, the Country’s GDP registered a faster-than-expected growth rate of 7.6%, following the 2021 rate of +9% and 2022’s +7,2%. Also in 2023, India’s Nifty 50 index hit a new high, up 16% this year surpassing even Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index. There are a variety of factors contributing to the success of the Country, like: demographic growth, higher salaries, export income, and an unemployment rate of under 10%. But It all started with Modi’s BRAP (Business…
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