Global equity markets declined in August, ending the rebound that began in July. Most of the economic data released last month points to an economic slowdown. Central banks are choosing to ignore this as they focus efforts on fighting inflation amid an energy crisis of historic proportions. Meanwhile, market trends remain bearish as market breadth deteriorates. In this context, it is not the time to be brave in asset allocation choices. Market bounces are likely to be part of a more volatile environment which will continue until the conditions for a market bottom are met.

The traditional diversified equity and bond portfolio has enjoyed years of exceptional performance. However, the current market environment of low interest rates and high volatility invites investors to consider new portfolio management approaches. In our latest Focus note, Luc Filip, our Head of Discretionary Portfolio Management walks us through the inner workings of our new portfolio management model, at a time when the diversification properties of a bond & equities portfolio are much less effective than in the past.