Equities

While maintaining a neutral short-term stance on Japan after its rally, Leung remains positive on its medium-term outlook. She also highlighted strong client demand for alternatives - both for diversification and return enhancement.

The bank advises investors to treat geopolitical-driven volatility as an opportunity to build positions.

As competition intensifies and assets under management grow, the ability to attract talent and leverage technology appears increasingly crucial for firms seeking to capitalize on India's wealth management opportunity.

The anticipated premiership of Sanae Takaichi is set to reshape Japan's financial markets, with analysts predicting a surge in stocks—particularly in defense, energy, and AI sectors—alongside a sustained period of yen weakness.

Two opposing trends are emerging: the US dollar faces sustained pressure from a standalone Fed easing cycle, while China's stock market rally is built on a surge in liquidity that may be temporary, reports from Lombard Odier and UBS show.

The bank advices a strategic shift in global asset allocation, emphasizing the growing appeal of Asian markets as a primary engine for equity returns in the coming year, while holding a more cautious and selective approach to richly valued US stocks.

This marks the 16th strategy launched since Federated’s acquisition of Hermes in 2018, highlighting its continued effort to enhance capabilities and bring best-of-breed US products to European and international investors.

Founded by Prashant Khemka in 2017, WhiteOak manages dedicated India and emerging markets funds.

Today, the strategy is accessible in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand through local distributors including private banks, retail banks, IFAs, insurance companies and partnered asset managers.

As valuations stretch and earnings growth expectations moderate, global strategists are advocating for diversification into Europe, Japan, and select emerging markets.

UBS sees potential in Taiwanese, Indian and Chinese tech stocks, while BNP Paribas maintains a bullish outlook on China's domestically-driven market, particularly in consumer and tech sectors.