William Blair plumps on Eurozone



Specialist manager William Blair has pointed to both the Eurozone and the Indian Rupee as investment growth prospects next year.
The company's head of dynamic allocation strategies, Brian Singer, said that while the Eurozone had been the very centre of political instability, it was likely to be where growth emerged in 2014 while, in terms of currency, the Indian Rupee would be the place to be.
Commenting during a recent visit to Australia, Singer claimed the Eurozone was becoming increasingly more stable, which was conducive to growth.
"There is more stability there now, and there is likely to be more stability there in the future than the market appreciates, and that's all supportive of growth," he said.
Singer said William Blair's dynamic allocation strategies were currently overweight Italy and Spain and had other exposures across the Eurozone, including the Dutch and German equity markets, and very limited exposure in France
Discussing currency exposures, he said William Blair had recently taken a long position in the Indian rupee.
"The largest exposure we have in Asia is a long position in the Indian rupee," he said.
"It's not everybody's cup of tea but it is cheaper now than since about 2007. The discrepancy between the Indian Rupee and what we would say is its fundamental value increased to such a degree that we were more comfortable taking a position."
Recommended for you
With a large group of advisers expecting to exit before the 2026 education deadline, an industry expert shares how these practices can best prepare themselves for sale to compete in a “buyer’s market”.
Australia has marked a decade among the best countries for retirement, according to Natixis, but with high inflation threatening their retirement goals, a third say they would get professional advice to improve their chances.
When it comes to the risks of acting as a responsible manager at an AFSL, compliance firm Holley Nethercote has shared a range of red flags that could see them facing disciplinary action from the corporate regulator.
Wealth management platform provider Netwealth has announced a partnership with FinClear to streamline trading capabilities for advisers.