Investor Sentiment Turning Cautious
Related content
Commodities - Technical Analysis
The prices of the two precious metals corrected higher, reaching their downtrend lines, from which they turned downward again. These charts still do not offer significant long opportunities. Oil, on the other hand, broke through the minor corrective trend line and has resumed its upward trajectory. A return to the previous price level around 120 is also a possibility. The price of natural gas may currently test the downward trend line before turning upward. Copper has reached the expected level where its longer-term upward trend was extending, so it has also begun an upward correction. Wheat and corn prices appear to be consolidating as long as their key support levels remain intact.
Alibaba: a short-term burden can become a driving force later on
Alibaba reported quarterly results in March that fell short of expectations; fierce competition in e-commerce continues to weigh on profitability, despite strong performance in the cloud business. Looking ahead, however, the situation may be on a path to gradual improvement, while new launches continue to roll out in AI services, which could represent significant business potential for the coming years. The market still does not price this in at current price levels, so even if heavy capex spending have a negative impact on performance in the short term, the company may be able to outgrow this over time. Moreover, due to the decline in share prices over the past few months, valuation levels are now more favorable, so we are maintaining the stock on our Equity Top Pick List.
Over 30 senior financial professionals, active in CEE markets and managing more than EUR 6.5 billion in assets under direct control, participated in our Institutional Investor Survey. Here, we highlight the most notable insights.
Investor positioning turns meaningfully more cautious across asset classes. Risk appetite has dropped sharply: the share of investors taking above-benchmark risk fell from 33% to 20%, while low-risk allocations doubled to 30%, pointing to a clear shift toward capital preservation amid geopolitical escalation.
CEE equity sentiment cools with BUX and CETOP both face a regional risk repricing. BUX optimism collapsed (bullish: 42% › 23%), while CETOP also re-rated lower as its prior valuation discount normalized back to pre-war levels. Rising geopolitical uncertainty — including declining expectations for a near-term Russia–Ukraine peace — is driving a more measured regional outlook.
FX visibility collapses, while HUF becomes both top potential outperformer and underperformer. EUR/HUF’s return to 390–395 and higher oil-driven vulnerability increased dispersion dramatically. HUF and PLN are now tied as expected outperformers (both 30%), but HUF is simultaneously viewed as the most likely underperformer — signaling exceptionally high uncertainty and volatility expectations.
Get more out of your investments!
Global Markets Services
OTP Global Markets offers a broad range of services in the field of local and international money and capital markets.
Read morePrivate Banking Services
Personal care and expertise with OTP Private Banking, along with the knowledge, security, and innovations of a multinational banking group.
Read more