The words benchmark and index are often used as synonyms in the financial language. Generally speaking, this seems to be right, but there are some differences between an index and a benchmark that every investor needs to know, since a benchmark is not necessarily the same as an index. An index, especially for securities markets, is a key figure that expresses the development of the prices for the respective securities over time. With regard to this, it indicates the basic trend in a capital market. This means an index serves as an indicator of the state of a market or

On May 15, 2024, LSEG Lipper unveiled the results of the LSEG Lipper Fund Awards for the MENA markets. Like previous years, the awards ceremony was not held as a physical in-person event. Since the last six years were a very challenging period for fund managers globally, the LSEG Lipper Fund Awards will get a lot of attention from the asset management industry since only those managers who were able to adapt their portfolios permanently to new market environments will receive one of the prestigious LSEG Lipper Fund Awards in 2024.   Different methodologies lead to different results Contrary to

Since the unrest in the Middle East began, nearly all container ships have been rerouted away from the Red Sea/Suez Canal towards the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope (Exhibit 1).  For U.S. retailers, this shift has mostly affected their European markets, which include shipments between Asia and Europe. This has added up to two weeks to the normal 35-day trip and created long gaps between the arrivals of vessels in European ports.  Moreover, the Panama Canal drought and Baltimore bridge collapse have all disrupted regular global supply chains. Exhibit 1: Red Sea – Cape of Good Hope

On May 17, 2023, Refinitiv Lipper unveiled the results of the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards for the MENA Markets. Like previous years, the awards ceremony was not held as a physical in-person event. Since the last five years were a very challenging period for fund managers globally, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards will get a lot of attention from the asset management industry since only those managers who were able to adapt their portfolios permanently to new market environments will receive a Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award in 2023. Different methodologies lead to different results Contrary to what a number of

On November 23, 2021, Refinitiv Lipper unveiled the results of the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards for Saudi Arabia. Since the period between July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2022, was quite challenging for fund managers around the globe, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards got a lot of attention from the asset management industry, as these awards showcase the ability of a fund to deliver high risk-adjusted returns.   Different methodologies lead to different results Contrary to what a number of market observers would expect, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are not based on return numbers alone. The winners of a

The fund industry in the Arabian markets (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) faced overall estimated net outflows of $14.2 bn over the course of the first nine months of 2022. These inflows occurred in a negative and volatile market environment as central banks around the globe were fighting the increasing inflation rates with increasing interest rates and quantitative tightening measures. At the same time, economies around the globe faced further shortages within supply chains as the COVID-19 pandemic is further looming while prices for energy are further increasing, which led to fears that companies

On May 18, 2022, Refinitiv Lipper unveiled the results of the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards for the MENA Markets.   Since the period between January 1, 2019, to December 31, 2021, was a challenging year for fund managers around the globe, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards will get a lot of attention from the asset management industry, as these awards showcase the ability of a fund to deliver high risk-adjusted returns.   Different methodologies lead to different results Contrary to what a number of market observers would expect, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are not based on return numbers alone.

The fund industry in the Arabian markets (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) enjoyed overall estimated net inflows of $2.0 bn over the course of 2021. These inflows occurred in a volatile market environment as inflation rates all over the globe were on the rise. At the same time, economies around the globe faced further shortages within supply chains, which led to fears that production companies may not hit the expected growth numbers over the course of 2021. In addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic was still looming and struck once again when the omicron

The demand for better information about sustainability-related matters which would enable investors to factor in sustainability-related risks and opportunities in their assessment of enterprise value is increasing globally. At the same time, there is no standard for the disclosure of non-financial information, which means that a number of metrics and measures used by companies are not comparable. The same is true for data vendors and Rating agencies. As a reaction to this lack of transparency, the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) was launched during the COP26 summit in Glasgow on November 3, 2021, to meet this demand. The idea of

On November 24, 2021, Refinitiv Lipper unveiled the results of the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards for Saudi Arabia. Since 2020 was a challenging year for the global fund industry, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards will get a lot of attention from the asset management industry since these awards showcase the ability of a fund to deliver high risk-adjusted returns. Different methodologies lead to different results Contrary to what a number of market observers would expect, the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards are not based on return numbers alone. The winners of a Refinitiv Lipper Fund Award aren’t determined by looking at

The fund industry in the Arabian markets (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) enjoyed overall estimated net inflows of $5.6 bn over the course of 2021 so far. These inflows occurred in a positive but volatile market environment driven by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns around the globe. As a result, central banks and governments around the world started quantitative easing and economic stimulus programs to cushion the damage of the lockdowns and slowed economic growth. These programs resulted in a robust performance of the equity markets during the different

After being postponed due to Covid-19, the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is now being held in Glasgow, Scotland. In alignment with the conference, many corporations have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions usage by adding long-term net zero goals on their ESG (environmental, social, governance) websites and claiming they are less environmentally damaging. To analyze the claims of consumer-product companies, we’ve pulled ESG data from Eikon. Methodology ESG scores from Refinitiv are designed to measure transparently and objectively a company’s relative ESG performance, commitment and effectiveness across 10 main themes (emissions, environmental product