Financial markets

Private-credit fears are based on four myths

The growth of private credit in all forms has actually made our financial system more resilient and less concentrated

Despite the shocks of 2025, India’s economy has held up better than expected, with GDP expanding 8.2% in the September quarter from a year earlier

Wall Street predicts rebound in Indian markets after tough year

AFTER one of India’s worst years of market underperformance in decades, some of Wall Street’s biggest names are calling for a rebound.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang reported the company's record-high quarterly revenues on Nov 19. The next day, its share price fell 3%.
THE BOTTOM LINE

Why investors are increasingly fatalistic

Everyone knows share prices have a long way to fall. Even so, getting out now might be a mistake

Having to rewire supply chains is expensive, as traditional production locations, logistic routes and distribution networks have been in place for many years.

Weaponisation of finance over geopolitics a concern, says GIC’s CEO

Disruptions to trade, security and supply chains have been costly, he says

Overall GDP growth and broad stock indexes are being flattered by the torrent of investment into AI and its infrastructure – overshadowing what's really going on Main Street, says the US' NFIB.
THE BOTTOM LINE

The ‘phoney trade war’ may be ending

The idea that the trade shock has happened and is now bedding down as a given may be wide of the mark

The S&P 500 has delivered 16% a year over the past five years and 15% a year over 10 years, much of it driven by Big Tech and easily beating the index’s long-term average return of closer to 9% a year.

This market is nothing like the dotcom bubble

Regardless of what happens in the next several years, AI is likely to pay off big for long-term investors

So far in 2025, every major sector from utilities and industrials to healthcare and banks has fared better in the rest of the world than in America. This suggests that if AI does not deliver for the US as anticipated, the country's economy and markets will lose the one leg they are now standing on.
THE BOTTOM LINE

America is now one big bet on AI

Artificial intelligence is seen as the magic fix for every threat to the US economy

Markets can sometimes be driven by just a handful of companies, creating concentration, shares David Walsh, head of Investments at RQI Investors.
BRANDED CONTENT

Extreme market concentration: Why index funds and ETFs may not give you the diversified exposure you expect

RQI Investors’ David Walsh shows how concentrated benchmarks can create blind spots in portfolio construction, and offers practical fixes for building more resilient investments

Many of Japan’s longer-dated government bond yields have recently spiked and are now at – or close to – record highs. This has created a rare moment of flexibility for Japanese investors who now enjoy the luxury of choice: invest domestically or abroad – without surrendering yield.
RETHINKING MATTERS

The great sucking sound: Japan’s capital shifts

Why the 30-year Japanese government bond yield could be the most important ‘risk indicator’ in the world now