Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR), mandatory ESG disclosure obligations, was introduced by the European Union to improve transparency in the market for sustainable investment.

The preliminary data on the euro zone GDP growth rate and Germany’s industrial production are expected as investors assess the pace and width of the slowdown in activity.

In the US, the debt ceiling negotiations will be the focus, as the US Treasury could run out of cash as early as June 1st. Drawing out the resolution may impact the nation’s credit rating and above all, confidence.

Publicly-traded companises have begun to incorporate ESG performance metrics into their executives’ compensation packages as part of efforts to increase transparency on their accountability vis-à-vis shareholders. Almost three out of four S&P 500 companies (73 %) tie executive compensation to ESG performance in 2021 – an increase from 66 % in 2020.

If France relies on its nuclear power, it will not do what is necessary in terms of renewables, says the German side. When it comes to importing disgusting LNG from shale gas or running its coal-fired power plants, Germany is less careful, comes the retort from west of the Rhine.

European equity markets continued their uptrend over the past four weeks on the back of positive economic surprises and a sharp fall in headline inflation as base effects in energy started to drag. The positive market trend was clearly driven by large caps and defensive growth sectors.

April saw positive performances for risky markets, with equities and convertible bonds outperforming, followed by high yield. Government bonds underperformed across most major markets except Japan. We also saw a recovery of subordinated and CoCo bonds to the detriment of more senior issues.

The market narrative remains very cautious and divided as to the path to follow over the next few quarters. While some investors prefer to look to the encouraging observable data points being published regarding earnings and inflation, many are hanging back, pointing to an inevitable deterioration of consumer spending and liquidity provided by banks to finance the economy.