Laven Cao, CFA

Laven Cao, CFA

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Prospect of further ECB rate hikes reinforces our downgrade of European equities Macro Research

Prospect of further ECB rate hikes reinforces our downgrade of European equities

Synopsis: The ECB’s first rate hike since 2023 reinforces our Unattractive view on European equities, as renewed inflation pressure is forcing tighter policy just as growth weakens, although selective opportunities remain in European defence and power infrastructure.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 12 Jun 2026 |190 Views
Europe downgraded to unattractive: The energy shock is not over, and earnings are likely to show it Macro Research

Europe downgraded to unattractive: The energy shock is not over, and earnings are likely to show it

Synopsis: We downgrade European equities to Unattractive - 2.0 Stars as higher-for-longer energy prices raise stagflation and earnings risks, while Europe’s remaining opportunities are increasingly concentrated in selective themes such as defence, power infrastructure and electrification.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 12 Jun 2026 |2032 Views
The energy security trade the market has not priced yet ETFs

The energy security trade the market has not priced yet

GRID captures the structural upgrade cycle in power infrastructure as the Hormuz closure, AI data centre demand and electrification permanently alter the economics of domestic energy.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 04 Jun 2026 |2300 Views
SAP: Why AI may strengthen, not erode, its moat Stocks

SAP: Why AI may strengthen, not erode, its moat

SAP’s 1Q26 results suggest its cloud transition remains intact, while AI may strengthen rather than weaken its moat by increasing the value of trusted enterprise data and workflow systems.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 18 May 2026 |290 Views
European Defence: Backlog growth supports a multi-year earnings cycle ETFs

European Defence: Backlog growth supports a multi-year earnings cycle

European defence stocks have pulled back over 11% — but backlogs are building, margins are expanding, and company earnings are starting to confirm what policy has been signalling for months.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 07 May 2026 |1823 Views
Europe downgraded to Neutral: Macro headwinds rise, but selective opportunities remain Macro Research

Europe downgraded to Neutral: Macro headwinds rise, but selective opportunities remain

Europe faces near-term macro headwinds, but selective sectors still benefit from a structural defence and infrastructure spending cycle.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 20 Apr 2026 |1974 Views
Tired of market swings? Consider a strategy that looks beyond direction Funds

Tired of market swings? Consider a strategy that looks beyond direction

A market-neutral strategy like the Jupiter GEAR offers a differentiated, low-correlation return stream that can improve portfolio resilience, particularly in environments where traditional diversification is less effective.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 14 Apr 2026 |3152 Views
European equities: structural case remains intact amid Iran conflict Macro Research

European equities: structural case remains intact amid Iran conflict

Geopolitical tensions from the Iran conflict have triggered near-term volatility in European equities, but the region’s improving profitability profile and rising strategic relevance suggest the structural investment case remains intact.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 13 Mar 2026 |2421 Views
European small caps: Positioned for domestic recovery and rate tailwinds Funds

European small caps: Positioned for domestic recovery and rate tailwinds

European small caps offer an opportunity to capture domestic recovery, rate-cut tailwinds, and a “double discount” valuation gap versus both global markets and European large caps.

By Laven Cao, CFA | 02 Mar 2026 |2394 Views
SAP: A rare buy opportunity created by the SaaS sell-off Stocks

SAP: A rare buy opportunity created by the SaaS sell-off

Fears of AI disruption have triggered a broad SaaS sell-off – but what if SAP is actually one of the biggest beneficiaries?

By Laven Cao, CFA | 13 Feb 2026 |4780 Views