Asset Allocation in An Uncertain World: Three Market Experts Share Their Outlooks For The Year Ahead

Institutional investors recently gathered in Madison, Wisconsin, to hear thought leaders address the topics of asset allocation, risk management, and the state of financial markets. As part of the program, representatives from Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, and the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) shared their frameworks for decision making and presented competing visions for how the next 12 months are likely to unfold. They also hinted at how they would position portfolios for optimal advantage.

A brief recap of their presentations follows:

Goldman Sachs Sees Decelerating Growth But Pockets of Opportunity

Noah Weisberger, head of the tactical macro equity team within Goldman Sachs’ Global Markets Group, focused on global macroeconomic indicators, including Goldman’s own proprietary index, which were pointing to modest but stable growth in the United States, continued strength in China, and Europe pulling itself out of recession — barely. Goldman’s Global Leading Indicator (GLI), an aggregate of key macroeconomic indicators from around the world, is currently seeing decelerating growth. Historically, Weisberger noted, slowing economies are almost as likely to revert to expansion as they are to move into a contraction phase. Read more.