Comment: Time for European 'revenge of the nerds'

Investors were able to enjoy their summer holiday this year without losing too much sleep.

Of course, that was not to say nothing has happened on the markets. In fact, we see interesting opportunities to add some notable underperformers of the past few years to the portfolio. In contrast to previous years, the markets have been sailing in calmer waters this summer. Last July, ECB president Mario Draghi was making waves with his now-famous ‘whatever it takes’ speech to stave off the growing euro crisis. Since then, equity and bond markets have been characterised by a period of relative calm and strong performances. In May, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke threatened to throw a s...