European Survey Shows Stock Allocation Reduced in August

European asset managers cut their exposure to stocks in August as expectations of rate hikes in the United States pushed many to book profits while shares remained near record highs, a monthly poll shows.

A Reuters survey of 11 European chief investment officers and fund managers found the average recommended allocation to equities in balanced portfolios dropped to 45.7 percent from 49 percent a month earlier – the lowest since September 2013.

The pullback in equities benefited alternative investments, such as hedge funds, private equity and commodities. They rose to 7.2 percent from 5.6 percent. Property allocations rose to 1.7 percent from 0.5 percent.

 
“We decided last week, with equities actually not too far off their highs for the year, was a better time to lower our still constructive stance on equities,” said Steven Steyaert, a portfolio specialist at ING Investment Management.

Steyaert said a combination of geopolitical threats, such as the conflict in Ukraine, and mounting speculation the U.S. Federal Reserve will soon tighten monetary policy had prompted ING’s new stance on stocks.

via Reuters

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Alfonso Esparza

Alfonso Esparza

Senior Currency Analyst at Market Pulse
Alfonso Esparza specializes in macro forex strategies for North American and major currency pairs. Upon joining OANDA in 2007, Alfonso Esparza established the MarketPulseFX blog and he has since written extensively about central banks and global economic and political trends. Alfonso has also worked as a professional currency trader focused on North America and emerging markets. He has been published by The MarketWatch, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and The Globe and Mail, and he also appears regularly as a guest commentator on networks including Bloomberg and BNN. He holds a finance degree from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM) and an MBA with a specialization on financial engineering and marketing from the University of Toronto.
Alfonso Esparza