With the seismic changes to the global order catalysed by the Trump administration, we see a crucible for global shifts away from the US-led order of free markets, free trade and globalisation that prevailed since the end of the Cold War. Entering a highly uncertain environment, investors should brace for volatility in interest rates, currencies, and inflationary pressures - and building a robust investment portfolio has never been more important, as the fluid backdrop challenges many of the assumptions behind traditional portfolio construction. We believe investors should re-think and re-position their portfolios across asset classes, countries, and styles to prepare for the significant uncertainties ahead, particularly as global markets grapple with diverging economic policies, geopolitical shifts, technology advances and demographic trends worldwide.
At the same time, investors need to address critical questions, including: How will the increasing proliferation of artificial intelligence impact markets? Will the arena of global competition extend beyond military might? And how will shifts in immigration trends influence the investment landscape ahead?
President, Peterson Institute for International Economics
Executive President and Senior Fellow, CF40 Institute
Chief Investment Officer Equities, Multi-Asset and Sustainability, M&G Investments
Chief Investment Strategist, Private Wealth, Blackstone
Asia Chair, Milken Institute; Advisor Senior Director, Temasek
Economist, Capital Group
Chief Economist, Apollo
Torsten Slok is Partner and Chief Economist at Apollo. Prior to joining in 2020, Torsten worked for 15 years on the sell-side, where his team was top-ranked by Institutional Investor in fixed income and equities for ten years. Previously, he worked at the OECD in Paris in the Money and Finance Division and the Structural Policy Analysis Division. Before joining the OECD, Torsten was with the IMF in the division responsible for writing the World Economic Outlook, and the division responsible for China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia.
Mr. Slok studied at University of Copenhagen and Princeton University. He frequently appears in the media and has published numerous journal articles and reviews on economics and policy analysis, including in the Journal of International Economics, Journal of International Money and Finance, and The Econometric Journal.
Chief Investment Officer, Nomura Asset Management
Chief Executive Officer and Head of Private Banking, Singapore, Bank of Singapore
Global Chief Investment Officer, Bank of Singapore
Jean Chia is Bank of Singapore’s Global CIO, responsible for the house view across Macroeconomics, Investment Strategy, FX, Equity & Fixed Income Research, as well as Discretionary Portfolio Management (DPM), Advisory Portfolio Management (APM) and Funds Selection teams at Bank of Singapore. Jean is a member of Bank of Singapore’s Global Management Committee and chairs the Bank’s Sustainable Investment Governance Committee. She also chairs the board of directors for BOS International Fund, Luxembourg and the OCBC Wealth Panel.
Jean has over 25 years of experience in Private Banking and Asset Management. She was previously Head, Equities Advisory & Sales, responsible for the equities and derivatives business at Bank of Singapore, and Head of Client Advisory Services for Equities, Investment Products & Services at UBS Wealth Management, Singapore. Prior to UBS, she was Vice President, Head of Grassroots Research at Allianz Dresdner Asset Management (now known as Allianz Global Investors).
Jean graduated with an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from University of Oxford, UK. She is currently on the Development Advisory Board of St Hilda’s College, University of Oxford.
Jean holds a Sustainable Finance certification from Cambridge Institute of Sustainable Leadership (CISL). She is a Financial Women’s Association of Singapore (FWA) Female Champion and the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) Fellow for Private Banking and Wealth Management. Jean is a Director on the Board of Mandai Nature, the conservation arm established by Mandai Wildlife Group and Temasek.
Chief Investment Strategist, Bank of Singapore
Chief Portfolio Strategist, Bank of Singapore
Chief Economist, Bank of Singapore