Some investors are “missing the point” of geopolitical risks by equating them to the disruptions from conflicts and wars, according to GIC chief economist Prakash Kannan, but in reality, geopolitical risk is no longer episodic or peripheral. This means investors need to think harder about inflation and country composition in their portfolio.
Long-time practitioners of the total portfolio approach said one of its greatest advantages is that the investment team can make significant asset allocation at its discretion, as interest towards adopting the framework picks up among asset owners to handle more complex decision-making. At FIS Singapore, GIC and OPTrust unpack the governance and risk culture to enable it.
Singapore’s Temasek said while US exceptionalism may be “fraying”, there aren’t many alternative markets that can handle the same volume of global capital. Meanwhile, fellow sovereign fund GIC believes the greenback’s reserve currency status remains solid even though currency swings could spell trouble for foreign investors.
Singapore's GIC boosted its US equities allocation in the year to March 2025 despite the expectation that high valuations could "provide a challenging backdrop for forward returns”, according to the fund's latest annual report released on Friday.
Singapore’s two largest asset owners, GIC and Temasek, see attractive opportunities in climate adaptation solutions – a relatively underfunded area compared to decarbonisation. The former has already made selective adaptation investments and said the opportunity set across public and private debt and equity could increase to $9 trillion by 2050.
A new generation of investors are starting their careers with artificial intelligence on their side as not only an investment trend that offers immense return potential but also a critical portfolio management tool. Professionals from GIC and Temasek told FIS Singapore how both SWFs are integrating AI in their operations.
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