From January through the end of May, European equities reclaimed leadership. In local currency, the MSCI EMU beat the MSCI World by roughly six to seven percentage points, and the quality of that advance was unmistakably value-tilted: banks and insurers led from the front, with telecom services, utilities and industrials providing consistent breadth.

The ECB interest rate decision will be closely watched for how the bank balances inflation nearly at target with sluggish growth in the region.

Markets will be laser-focused on the US job report, representing one of the last major data releases ahead of the September FOMC.

Yields remain elevated across both U.S. and European markets, offering attractive carry for investors in both Investment Grade (IG) and High Yield (HY).

Markets will be digesting the comments made by Central Bankers at the Economic Policy Symposium in Jackson Hole.

Europe’s strategic autonomy is no longer a theory; it’s a trending headline, a policy priority, and an investment theme. But with many players now crowding the space, real differentiation lies not in retelling the story, but in how you act on it. At Candriam, we see Europe’s autonomy shift not as a short-term theme, but as a long-term, multi-sector transformation.

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