Coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran began on Saturday 28 February, while Iranian retaliation has spread across the region. Without any clearly stated intentions or objectives on the part of the United States of America, these events give rise to numerous hypotheses and uncertainties for the region in the coming months, as well as risks for investors.

If brand value is image, reputation, and a track record of quality, the higher the price of the product, the more important that image is for pricing and profit. And the more susceptible to negative news which might affect that image.

Why are we engaging with companies on their supply chains? Their supply chains have unique and high-risk elements. These come into focus was we look at our larger engagement campaign on supply chains generally.

Artificial Intelligence agents are moving beyond assistance and into execution. The emergence of AI agents such as Claude Cowork has intensified a debate among investors: could parts of the SaaS ecosystem risk structural disintermediation?

The State of the Polarized Union

Explore Candriam’s disciplined approach to credit investing. Learn how issuer research, ESG integration and risk visibility help navigate volatility and construct resilient fixed income portfolios.

In a world where investors are constantly looking for more income opportunities and stability, subordinated bonds issued by banks and insurance companies constitute an interesting alternative.

Global activity proved resilient into the new year as policy uncertainty around US trade eased from late-2025 peaks and the IMF nudged world growth forecasts modestly higher. Within the euro area, Q4 growth accelerated, but January PMIs were mixed – manufacturing stabilised while services softened, pointing to a slight loss of momentum at the start of 2026.