By Laurent Picard, Portfoliomanager at Bellevue Asset Management
Every year around this time, I look forward to a few busy days in Nice for Bernstein's annual European Small Cap Conference, an event that combines hard work with an exceptional setting. We spend long days meeting management teams at just the right time: by this stage of the year, we have a much clearer picture of how companies are executing, allowing us to further refine our investment theses.
It's also the start of summer, which certainly doesn't hurt. Over the years, I've developed a few rituals. I always stay at Hôtel Amour, a boutique hotel just a short walk from the Promenade des Anglais. Evenings are often spent at Davia, a traditional Niçois restaurant, where discussions about markets continue over delicious local food with fellow fund managers who have become friends. And if I have a free evening, I take a taxi to Paloma Beach in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat for dinner by the sea. This stay perfectly illustrates how some of the best investment conversations happen far from conference rooms.
Summer floating on the Limmat
Growing up in Paris, I always thought spending time in nature meant planning a weekend away. Living in Zurich changed that perspective. In summer, one of my favourite rituals is heading to a Badi for a swim after work. And while I wouldn't recommend swimming in the Seine, floating down the Limmat on a summer evening is something everyone should experience at least once. Winter is just as easy. If the forecast looks promising, there's nothing better than deciding on a Friday evening to go skiing and being on the slopes by morning.
