The second Trump administration has given investors plenty to worry about – tax changes, tariffs and diplomatic chaos among other concerns. But geopolitics expert Stephen Kotkin said the only real danger that will obliterate any portfolio is an US-China war.
Policy uncertainty over issues such as US tariffs put investors in uncharted territory, but the Top1000funds.com Fiduciary Investors Symposium heard that one guiding principle at such moments is not to make big, risky bets.
Bridgewater’s co-CIO Karen Karniol-Tambour warned that many investors have built up significant vulnerabilities in their portfolios over the past 15 years, in a period defined by steady growth and US exceptionalism. But the post-Liberation Day regime will be much less favourable for traditional portfolios.
Denmark’s Velliv Association, the governance entity behind member-owned commercial pension fund Velliv, explained why a society where workers’ mental health needs are looked after is better for pension funds and their liabilities.
In a ratcheting up of investor pressure, Tesla shareholders including prominent European and US pension funds have this week demanded that Elon Musk dedicate at least 40 hours a week to managing the EV company. They also called on it to address “deficiencies in the board’s oversight of company leadership”.
Pension fund members in retirement want the sustainability of pension payments. OPTrust chief investment officer James Davis told the Top1000Funds Fiduciary Investors Symposium that a total portfolio approach is the best way to do that, and has been on a journey towards delivering it for the past 10 years.
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