Our Fixed Income Top Picks
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Our Equity Top Pick List
We have updated our Equity Top Pick List to reflect the events of the past quarter. The list includes those stocks, typically US and European ones, that we consider to be proper investment choices from a fundamental point of view. It can provide a starting point for building a sector-diversified equity exposure in portfolios, but can also be used as a watch list. Technical analysis should be used to time / determine the specific investment decision.
Could the momentum return in the semiconductors?
The semiconductor sector has had a challenging quarter, with its performance in recent months lagging behind improvements in underlying fundamentals, even as AI-driven demand remained exceptionally strong. The accelerating adoption of AI by enterprises and the proliferation of AI agents are significantly increasing the demand for computing capacity, which points to a further surge in cloud services and data center investments. Given current supply constraints, record-high backlogs, and higher-than-expected investment needs, we expect further upward revisions to earnings forecasts in the semiconductor industry. Nevertheless, the sector’s valuation appears favorable from a historical perspective, which, in our view, could result in a more attractive risk-return profile in the coming months.
U.S. and European corporate bond spreads remain at historically low levels, leaving limited room for yield premiums, particularly in the high-yield segment. Regional sovereign and corporate bonds denominated in euros and U.S. dollars still offer attractive alternatives with moderate risk profiles. In this report, we have selected instruments linked to fundamentally solid issuers that provide a balanced risk-return profile in the current market environment.
Diversification of the bond portfolio by currency should continue to be implemented through euro- and dollar-denominated regional government bonds (Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian), as well as high-quality corporate bonds issued in euros and dollars.
Euro-Denominated Corporate Bonds
Corporate bond yields remain at low levels, as risk appetite in the capital markets is currently high, supported by strong profit outlooks and a favorable macroeconomic environment. January started with an exceptionally strong wave of corporate bond issuance. In such an environment, it is challenging to find corporate bonds that still offer meaningful yields at acceptable risk levels. For this reason, we have kept well-known names on our list, as finding better alternatives is difficult.
Dollar-Denominated Corporate Bonds
Companies in the region typically issue bonds in euros, with a much narrower list available in dollars. The list includes two OTP-related bonds—subordinated instruments maturing in 2033 and 2035. Both have early call options, which can significantly limit the yield investors ultimately realize. Another Hungarian-linked bond on the list is MVM’s note maturing in June 2028.
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