KLDW News and Press, Knowledge Leaders Developed World From 02/28/22

We are tactically upgrading equities as we see greater clarity on the Ukraine conflict and reduced risk of central banks slamming the brakes to curb inflation. The S&P 500 slid into correction territory as Russia invaded Ukraine last week, but rebounded afterward. Bond prices show...

Events have moved quickly since our update on February 22. It’s unclear whether this is the shock and awe phase of a limited incursion or the beginning of a full-scale invasion that seeks regime change in Kyiv. USD/RUB touched 90 overnight before fading back to the mid-80s ...

It seems likely that Russia’s overwhelming military force will eventually prevail and Ukraine’s government and independence will succumb. Inflation is already elevated and rising energy prices will likely exacerbate pricing pressure further. Russia’s growing e...

We up our strategic overweight to developed market equities, but near-term elevated geopolitical tensions keep our tactical shopping basket on hold. Equities retreated as investors took renewed fright over the military stand-off involving Ukraine, helping pull down short-term bond yie...

Forecasting macro activity and managing expectations have become substantially more difficult. As the West imposes sanctions on Russia, the potential for a severe supply shock lurks – particularly for oil and natural gas. Macroeconomic risk will rise, perhaps leading to a n...

Russia supplies natural gas to Europe, and in the event of US sanctions, this could impact Europe. But there are so many LNG ships in the Atlantic right now that lease rates have collapsed, so Russian threats to cut off Europe’s gas may not be much of a threat. The other big th...

Investors are on edge, as global stock markets have tumbled - led by the popping of the tech bubble - since the start of the year. With the market continuing to drop, we may ask whether or not it is a good time to buy right now. In widespread market drops, there are investment opp...

Non-U.S. markets, including EM, DM, and Asia, are outperforming the U.S. markets after underperforming last year. After slightly underperforming growth last year, value is where the money is flowing. With the economy still in growth mode, cyclical stocks should do better than defe...

With inflation running at multi-decade highs, major central banks get ready to tighten monetary policy. Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Chief Investment Officer Sonal Desai argues they are well behind the curve—and why she thinks markets still underestimate the long, volatile a...

With inflation rising, fears that policymakers could tip economies into recession have eroded enthusiasm for stocks after three strong years. In this environment, equity investors must distinguish between businesses that are more likely to do well in an inflationary environment and th...