Where Europe's biggest fund manager is putting its cash

Singapore

EUROPE'S largest asset manager favours India, Russia and Chile among emerging markets, arguing they fare better against those with weaker fundamentals and political risks amid an expected global slowdown.

Amundi Asset Management, which oversees the equivalent of about US$45 billion of developing-nation assets, also likes stocks and bonds in China, Indonesia, Czech Republic, Brazil, and Peru, Pascal Blanque, group chief investment officer, said in an interview in Singapore.

They offer high-yielding currencies with sustainable levels of debt and earnings growth as well as the monetary and fiscal capability to counter a cooling of their economies, he said.

Amundi joins Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc, which are bullish on emerging markets that are making a comeback after suffering their biggest losses in three years in 2018 amid optimism over easing trade tensions and less hawkish Federal Reserve. There are the bears like HSBC Holdings Plc that are arguing growth in developing economies have been disappointing and needs to improve to justify higher returns.

"The two macro threats - basically the dollar and higher interest rates coming from the US - are diminished and they are behind us, " Paris-based Mr Blanque said.

"There is room moving forward for an appreciation of most currencies in the emerging-market space. So this is a piece of good news."

When it comes to markets to avoid, Amundi is looking at the balance-of-payments as a key metric, shunning Turkey and is guarded on South Africa and Argentina because of their deficits, Mr Blanque said. Countries such as Argentina, South Africa and Nigeria also face risks from the upcoming elections, he said.

Below are some of Mr Blanque's views shared in the interview: