
Macroeconomic Strategy Team
4 April 2023
Events of the past quarter have strengthened our conviction on several of the team’s core economic views.
In our view, the macro backdrop will get worse before it gets better in the current global economic cycle, and investors should expect to experience higher and longer bouts of volatility through the first half of 2023.
At this point, we believe it’s crucial to reassess how we should be thinking about the Fed’s approach to policy making, especially in the context of the second biggest bank failure in U.S. history which has raised doubts about the health of the U.S. banking system.
Overweight utilities – stability meets growth in a rate-cutting cycle
Heading into 2026, preferred securities remain an attractive asset class supported by strong fundamentals and favourable macro trends. In particular, utilities preferreds stand out as a core allocation, benefiting from structural growth drivers, such as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven energy demand, easing monetary policy, and their defensive characteristics amid potential market uncertainties.
2026 Outlook Series: Greater China Equities
Greater China equity markets registered a strong equity rally in 2025 to date, driven by technology breakthroughs, demand for localisation, go-global demand, and upward earnings growth revisions. We reiterate a positive view on Greater China equity markets going into 2026 as we believe Mainland and Taiwan are well-positioned to drive high-quality growth to the next level.
2026 Asia Equities ex-Japan Outlook: Positive catalysts drive continued momentum
Asia equities ex-Japan delivered strong performance in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, June Chua, Head of Asia Equities, outlines in this investment note why she believes the outlook for the asset class remains constructive, underpinned by numerous positive catalysts: a softer US dollar, the US Federal Reserve’s rate-cut trajectory, supportive earnings and valuations, and differentiated growth drivers across geographies.
Overweight utilities – stability meets growth in a rate-cutting cycle
Heading into 2026, preferred securities remain an attractive asset class supported by strong fundamentals and favourable macro trends. In particular, utilities preferreds stand out as a core allocation, benefiting from structural growth drivers, such as artificial intelligence (AI)-driven energy demand, easing monetary policy, and their defensive characteristics amid potential market uncertainties.
2026 Outlook Series: Greater China Equities
Greater China equity markets registered a strong equity rally in 2025 to date, driven by technology breakthroughs, demand for localisation, go-global demand, and upward earnings growth revisions. We reiterate a positive view on Greater China equity markets going into 2026 as we believe Mainland and Taiwan are well-positioned to drive high-quality growth to the next level.
2026 Asia Equities ex-Japan Outlook: Positive catalysts drive continued momentum
Asia equities ex-Japan delivered strong performance in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, June Chua, Head of Asia Equities, outlines in this investment note why she believes the outlook for the asset class remains constructive, underpinned by numerous positive catalysts: a softer US dollar, the US Federal Reserve’s rate-cut trajectory, supportive earnings and valuations, and differentiated growth drivers across geographies.