Global Investment Views - December 2018

Wednesday 28 November 2018

Research / Market

Strategies for tough markets

This year has proven to be challenging for portfolio construction, as well as regarding returns. To put this into perspective, for 2009-17, our analysis shows that each year, on average, 76%of major asset classes (including different regional government bonds, equity, inflation-linked, currency and commodities) recorded positive performances. In 2018, the story has changed: we are heading towards an unprecedented year in which less than 20%of asset classes have been in positive territory*. Markets have started to price in a slowdown in global growth and tighter liquidity conditions, in a more complex than expected political environment (trade tariffs and populism). Vulnerabilities in the more stretched areas of the market (growth stocks in equities and credit markets) and idiosyncratic stories (Argentina, Turkey, Italy) are the main consequences of this new narrative.

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