Investing for advanced investors: expert forecasts and professional lessons

Today, at the conference “Investing 2025. For Advanced Investors”, market experts, economists and investors discussed trends, instruments and the direction in which to steer the investment wheel next year. More than 20 speakers took the stage at the event, which was streamed free of charge on vz.lt. The conference “Investing 2025. For Advanced Investors” is organised by Verslo žinios together with Artea and partners: AB Agathum, Profitus and reefo. The programme covers opportunities in shares, bonds and crowdfunding, the situation on the Baltic and global stock exchanges, investments in venture capital and different asset classes. Current topics were not left aside either: the security and defence industry and preparing for retirement. The conference was hosted by Viktorija Orkinė, a professional investor and real estate expert.

A look into the future: no dark clouds in sight

“Looking at global indicators, and especially those of Lithuania, it seems that the only way is up,” economist and Lithuanian Business Confederation vice-president Marius Dubnikovas said, opening the day on an optimistic note. The forecasts are also favourable: unemployment in the euro area has stabilised at very low levels, financial markets show an extremely restrained reaction to any news, and stock markets are breaking records. The companies that surprise most with their results are those from the non-essential consumer goods segment and the financial sector. However, the economist points out that it is worth keeping a cool head even in such cheerful circumstances: prolonged growth is always risky. Not forgetting diversification and carefully selecting the companies one invests in, paying greater attention to those that pay stable dividends – these are the basic rules of rational investing. The trend, he says, is very clear: the US stands on its technology companies, so when building an investment portfolio it has become impossible not to include the so-called “Magnificent Seven”.

In terms of relative ratios and dividend yields, Baltic equities look particularly attractive, while increased turnover and a higher average transaction size indicate greater activity by institutional investors, despite the difficult geopolitical backdrop. This is how Arvydas Jacikevičius, manager of the INVL Baltic Fund at Artea Asset Management, explained why it is worth looking towards the Baltic market. According to him, large foreign investors are gradually returning to the region, and an even stronger boost is likely next year, when the second-pillar pension reform begins.

“Although the Damocles sword of geopolitics is still being felt and our countries are still regarded as risky in the face of war, which is slowing the appreciation of local companies’ shares, the shares of Baltic companies deliver a high dividend return. You could say the dividend fairy tale continues: this year the average dividend yield of Baltic companies was 6.2 percent. If part of the funds withdrawn from pension funds is invested in the local capital market – and based on Estonia’s experience I would forecast that local capital could attract about 1–5 percent of the withdrawn assets – this will greatly contribute to the development and liquidity of the region’s capital market,” says A. Jacikevičius.

Bonds and crowdfunding platforms are gaining momentum

How realistic is it to earn a million from bonds? This provocative question was raised by Eglė Džiugytė, Head of the Financial Markets Department at Artea bank. Dispelling the myth that this asset class is intended only for pensioners who invest (“In fund portfolios today we see many more fixed-income products emerging, and globally bonds are the second most popular asset class after real estate”), she insists that with discipline and steady cash flows it is possible to accumulate a significant amount also with a fixed-income instrument – not only one million, but even more. Bonds, she says, are an instrument that in no way lags behind others and, among other things, does not require a large initial capital outlay. “The most important thing is not how much you invest, but when you start investing. The question should not be ‘can I afford it?’, but ‘how much does it cost me to wait?’. There is no worse decision than a decision not taken – simple mathematical models prove this. After 7–10 years, the snowball effect kicks in, when money starts earning more than we ourselves do. Starting with EUR 10,000 and investing EUR 500 per month and reinvesting the interest, it is possible to accumulate EUR 1 million in savings over 30 years from investments in bonds,” E. Džiugytė points out. She urges that when choosing this instrument, particular attention should be paid to the collateral, which will be crucial for recovering the invested funds in the event of failure.

According to her, Lithuania has indeed mastered the crowdfunding tool very well and is visible at international level. A large-scale analysis of compliance of European Union crowdfunding platforms with the Regulation, covering 236 platforms and published in July, showed that the most advanced are the Baltic countries, which have above-average compliance scores. According to data from the Bank of Lithuania, crowdfunding in our country grew by 21 percent last year and ranks third when comparing the distribution of investments by asset class, catching up with bonds. In 2024, the average amount invested per investor last year was EUR 3,810 and increased by 56 percent – these are significantly higher amounts than in European countries on average.

The logic of investing remains: diversification matters

“AI is already changing our everyday life, and this is reflected in the markets: companies that in one way or another work with AI today make up almost 20 percent of the Vanguard Total World Index – that means almost one fifth of the total value of the world’s equities. Are we, as investors, safe in such an environment? Is AI a dangerous bubble for investors or the future?” – these were the questions posed by Algirdas Pukis, head of the real estate and investment management company Agathum, in a conversation with Martynas Kairys, founder of Finansai paprastai.lt. The two discussed how to protect oneself against losses when investing in AI companies, which are characterised not only by high valuations but also by high risk, and why AI should not change the logic of investing. “AI is truly a transformative technology, but it seems that it is also somewhat of an investment bubble. As Jeff Bezos aptly observed, reality always wins and it is unbeatable,” the head of Agathum summed up the discussion.

“Statistics from Lithuania reveal that as many as 40 percent of residents could not afford to face unexpected expenses (EUR 400–500). That is probably where the problem lies: only a part of people save, while far too large a share do not – not only for retirement, but in general. And they should, because the demographic situation shows this very clearly,” said Vaidotas Rūkas, head of Artea Asset Management, starting the conversation about preparing for retirement. “Professional preparation for retirement begins with decisions that allow money to work for you. One of the main alternatives to pension funds is real estate. It remains one of the most reliable forms of capital accumulation, but for today’s investor, efficiency and time saving are becoming increasingly important. That is why solutions that allow you to earn income without day-to-day management are being offered ever more often,” says Žilvinas Bliznikas, partner at the creative real estate development company reefo.

One example of such a modern and reliable way to accumulate capital for the future is the Corner project in Naujamiestis. Owners can hand over the apartments they purchase to hotel operations and receive guaranteed monthly income, while a professional team takes care of everything else. The conference concluded with a discussion on investment management in Lithuania and the “muscles” that managers have built up after going through more than one downturn. According to Vaidotas Rūkas, head of Artea Asset Management with 20 years of investment experience, it is not good times but difficult ones that toughen you – one year of crisis is worth almost 10 years of successful experience.

“Until 2008 I knew that capital markets could fall by 30–50 percent, but it turned out they could fall by 80 or even 90 percent. Therefore later my goal, both as an investor and as a fund manager, was always to work in such a way as to avoid such a situation, to ensure that money is preserved even in the most turbulent times, while still not losing the opportunity to earn returns for investors,” stressed the head of Artea Asset Management.

You can read the full article here: https://www.vz.lt/investavimas-2025/2025/10/30/apie-investavima-pazengusiems-ekspertu-prognozes-ir-profesionalu-pamokos-575094