Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble: investing in an age of upheaval

Andrew van Sickle Editor, MoneyWeek Thuy Anh Nguyen Director, Product Specialist, Dragon Capital Emily Barnard Deputy Portfolio Manager, Edinburgh Investment Trust Alastair Unwin Deputy Fund Manager, Polar Capital Technology The postwar order of global co-operation and economic integration has been eclipsed by a mercantilist struggle between competing powers. Trade barriers and fractured supply chains, along with growth and public-debt crises in much of the developed world, have led to an era of mild stagflation. Investors should consider forms of portfolio insurance such as gold and commodities, while ensuring they stock up on reasonably valued sources of income, including bargains on the UK stockmarket, to stay ahead of inflation. At the same time, there are always compelling opportunities in the wider world, such as Vietnam, a market MoneyWeek has liked since 2005, while investors are still coming to grips with the potential of AI – including whether the US-equity boom could collapse and drag global markets down with it