CIO Corner

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Moving into H2 2026 – resilience over perfection

Equity markets rallied in April and May despite headwinds in the Middle East peace process, inflationary pressure and rising bond yields.
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State of play at half-time of 2026

Franklin Templeton's Sonal Desai says investors should be cautious about making aggressive bets on falling interest rates.

US deficits, not de-dollarisation, reshaping bond markets: Franklin Templeton

Agentic AI systems will act, plan, reason and execute complex tasks with minimal human intervention.
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The Magnificent Seven: Old wineskin for new wine

Investors tend to have excessive cash deposits in their portfolios, because they recognise that the world is complex and do not want to invest at the wrong time.
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What type of forecaster are you?

Ships and tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, which has oscillated between opening and closure.
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Investing in an energy-driven world

Do not build portfolios as though the future belongs only to asset-light digital champions or only to heavy industrial incumbents, says the writer.
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Compute vs concrete: For investors, not a binary choice

Energy, materials and industrial stocks outperformed the S&P 500 in four of the five energy shocks by an average of 16%.
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What history tells us about what it takes to reap positive market returns amid an oil shock

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has tightened the noose around global oil supplies and trade routes.
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War and peace: portfolio ramifications

Brent crude futures prices are averaging north of US$100 per barrel since the escalation, versus a five-year average of US$81 per barrel.
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Why it is commodities’ turn to shine