We believe that the scene is being set for a stronger macroeconomic backdrop in Europe; yes, the overall picture is complicated and not helped by politics, but the underlying data is encouraging.
This outlook of macroeconomic improvement (admittedly from very low levels) would be a supportive backdrop for our Quality Transition approach, that is investing in companies that are able and willing to change for the better. Valuations are a key component of our investment process and there are many opportunities in the European equities space whose Quality Transition characteristics have been over-looked by the markets and so are attractively valued.
Positive change for a company is often closely aligned with and affected by market cycles and, given the improving outlook described above, the strategy is positioned for cyclical recovery in order to benefit. This is the opportunity for active investors in European equities.