Who is the best fund manager in Europe?

The timing is almost perfect: the eighteenth edition of the list of the best European management companies established by the fundclass firm is based on an extraordinary period, moving from 1.^er April 2020 to December 31, 2023. So at the beginning of the Kovid-19 pandemic, the counters start from almost the lowest point in the stock markets. The CAC 40 index rose from 3,600 points in March 2020 to over 7,500 points at the end of 2023. But this beautiful journey has not been smooth, with the index falling 9.5% in 2022. The period is equally unique for interest rates: initially in negative territory, the main rates of the European Central Bank (ECB) began a spectacular increase in July 2022.

The management companies highlighted by the fundclass were therefore able to maneuver in a complex environment on both stocks and bonds. The winners for France were HMG Finance for the category of management companies with 4 to 7 funds, AG2R La Mondial Asset Management (8 to 15 funds), Pro BTP Finance (16 to 25 funds), CPR Asset Management (AM, from 26 to 40 funds), Credit Mutual AM (from 41 to 70 funds) and Lazard Freres Gaston (from 71 to 100 funds). Four of them (HMG Finance, AG2R La Mondial Asset Management, Pro BTP Finance and Lazard Freres Gaston) are also crowned the best management companies in Europe in their category.

“This is the first time that we count so many French artists among the European winners in eight categories”, suggests Francois Chauvet, president of Fundclass. The analysis also gives trophies to managers who have shown the best results compared to their peers over seven years to reward regularity of firm performance. Palatine AM, Groupama and Lazard Frères Gestion received awards.

Insurance Companies in the Spotlight

In total, three of the eight French management companies that won the award this year are subsidiaries of insurance groups. random? Not for Xavier Hoche, deputy general manager of Groupe AM, a heavyweight managing 102.4 billion euros, mainly in bonds: “As a mutual insurer, we think over a long horizon. This gives the product time to prove itself, even if it doesn’t collect because its strategy isn’t fashionable. »

Groupama has been regularly rewarded by Fundclass in recent years since the paid method. “This also results in team stability, which is a critical element for implementing long-term conviction management”Mr. Hoche continues.

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