Viewpoints

In an increasingly deglobalized world, governments are seeking energy and commodity autonomy in the form of domestic supply chains and strategic reserves. What does this mean for the energy transition?

China’s luxury market is being reshaped: ultra-high-end brands remain resilient, while mid-tier players face pressure from premium and domestic competitors. Consumers are shifting spending toward experiences and local brands, with uneven recovery and opportunities emerging in platforms and adaptable operators.

Portfolio manager Ed Walczak shares his thoughts on his trip to the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, his 30 th visit. He focuses on investing versus speculating in today’s AI-obsessed market, and how sticking to a discipline might be harder but more important than ever.

Markets have held up surprisingly well, even as pressures build beneath the surface. Since the war in the Middle East began in February, investors have had to contend with rising energy prices, renewed inflation concerns, and a quasi-U-turn in monetary policy expectations.

Like oil once powered the industrial era, chips have become a key input powering broad economic activity, with expectations for demand to continue through 2026 and into 2027. In our view, “picks-and-shovels” companies should benefit regardless of which model, hyperscaler, or foundation lab ultimately wins.

Galderma is a pure play dermatology company with steadily growing aesthetics and skin care franchises. Galderma’s Dysport is taking share from Botox, while Nemluvio, its novel itch biologic, is gaining traction. We believe the company may see long term revenue and profit growth ahead. Turns out, demand for better skin is remarkably durable.

The surge in electricity demand exposes aging power networks as the weak link in electrification. Underinvestment, congestion, and climate stress are colliding with a rising share of renewables and power-hungry data centers. This makes grid modernization, storage, and resilience a defining, long-term investment opportunity.

Emerging markets have just weathered two major global shocks — and have come out on top. We believe this is no accident. Many investors missed the post-Liberation Day rebound by staying anchored in a framework that may no longer describe the emerging-market universe. The same misreading risks compounding potential portfolio under-exposure today.

After years of climate taking center stage in impact investing, the social side of the coin is starting to receive more investor attention. Find out what’s been driving the increased interest, and why the timing matters.

Markets have bounced back to pre-conflict highs. The Conviction Equities and Multi Asset boutiques share their views on why this signal may be worth paying attention to.

A first-year review of European Equity Income Plus: performance, income distribution and resilience across turbulent markets. We examine how the strategy’s three building blocks responded to sharp drawdowns, a V-shaped recovery and geopolitical shock as the fund enters its second year.

Energy sovereignty efforts and competitiveness are fostering the transition from a system based on finite, extracted resources with volatile prices to one centered on generated technologies with decreasing costs as production scales. Investing in the full spectrum with an active approach offers the opportunity to accelerate the transition and share in its rewards.

Korea’s governance reforms tackle the 'Korea discount' by enhancing transparency and minority shareholder rights. Measures like mandatory treasury share cancellations and stronger board independence aim to unlock corporate value and drive fairer valuations. A pivotal step toward more equitable markets.

Markets today resemble Aesop’s fable The Boy Who Cried Wolf, with many investors conditioned to dismiss risks after years of shallow, short-lived downturns and swift recoveries fueled by central bank interventions. We believe this complacency has led to higher valuations and reduced defensiveness, creating structural fragility.

Equity markets have become concentrated in a handful of mega-cap stocks, leaving many high-quality small- and mid-cap (SMID) companies overlooked. But what does the combination of concentration, valuation, and structural megatrends mean for investors?

Railroads play a critical role in facilitating the efficient movement of goods and essential commodities in North America. Over the last thirty years, railroads have evolved from heavily regulated businesses with returns at or below their cost of capital into lightly regulated and capital-efficient networks distinguished by infrastructure that is difficult to replicate. This article discusses the investment merits of listed railroads and examines how the recent industry dynamics will impact future growth.

Artificial intelligence (AI) may be one of the greatest technological breakthroughs, but it’s too early to tell. History shows that investment returns don’t always match innovation hype. However, we do know that economic fundamentals have not changed, which means that investments must become self-financing and deliver adequate returns to be sustainable.

Vontobel’s Ed Walczak is among a small number of portfolio managers active today who were also managing money during the dot-com bubble. Ed compares the two time periods and explains how having zero exposure in tech and telecom in the dot-com era, while unpopular, rewarded his investors.

Two mantras exist among investors when it comes to equity factors. First, you hear that “factors tend to outperform the broader market in the long run”. True. Second, you hear that “timing factors is almost impossible, and that you would be better off with a static allocation”. False. In fact, dynamic timing approaches to factor premia management adds significant benefits over static allocation approaches and in this piece, we show you why

Emerging market equities enjoyed an impressive year but have investors missed the boat? We don’t think so. In fact, we believe 2025 marked the first year of positive change for at least two key structural factors, which could spark the beginning of a new positive cycle for EM equities.

Commodities delivered strong returns in 2025 with the significant dispersion across commodities. In our quarterly commodity outlook, we discuss our view of oil markets, metals, grains and of course the all shining precious metal rally. Find out where we see value in an environment of macroeconomic tailwind and geopolitical uncertainty.

With global markets navigating a complex and evolving landscape and at a time when corporate bonds have emerged as a cornerstone for resilient and diversified portfolios, Vontobel is proud to celebrate a decade of alpha generation for the Vontobel Fund – Global Corporate Bond, which passed its 10th anniversary in October 2025.

While AI drew the most attention again this year, other secular drivers such as asset renewal, energy security, decarbonization, and data growth are fueling durable investment cycles. These themes support long‑term opportunities across sectors, reinforcing infrastructure’s potential for sustained growth and stability.

As we approach 2026, high equity valuations, shifting inflation dynamics, and rising cross-asset dispersion are reshaping the investment landscape. With traditional portfolio strategies like the 60/40 model facing new challenges, diversification is becoming a practical necessity. The Solutions team explores how these structural shifts are driving the return of the multi-asset cycle and what it means for investors navigating this new market regime.