- US stock market exceptionalism to continue
- Position for interest rate volatility
- Build in some crash protection
If, like many people, you’re left scratching your head at how festive fare got so expensive, there should be some consolation in what legendary American economist Harry Markowitz described as the only free lunch for investors: diversification.
It's fair to say that as well as ballooning the average family’s holiday food budget, inflation’s side-effects helped nibble at the effectiveness of straightforward multi-asset strategies in recent years. Still, investing in the right mix of shares, bonds, property, gold, cash and other assets remains a guiding principle. Even when positive correlations between equities and bonds saw the simple 60/40 allocation come unstuck in 2021-22, there were tactical asset allocators who outperformed the market by calling the macro environment correctly and making smart asset choices.