Topics Covered:

Portfolio construction in today’s macro climate — balancing risk, correlations, and tracking error.

Credit market health — Morningstar DBRS and Proskauer data show improving leverage, coverage, and default rates.

Bond market reset — Deutsche Bank’s historical context on the worst 5-year Treasury returns and forward expectations.

Opportunities in core bonds — PIMCO’s view on yields, international duration, and diversification benefits.

DeepMacro model positioning — long USD, contrarian equity overweight, and rates strategy.

Trend-following under pressure — why CTAs are lagging in 2025.

Emerging markets strategy — Victor Zhou on activeness, tracking error, and the under-researched alpha potential in EM small caps.

Key Takeaways:

Dollar correlations are a driver of our U.S. equity overweight.

Credit fundamentals are stronger, with default rates falling.

Bond valuations have reset, creating better entry points, but real returns may remain modest.

Trend-following struggles highlight the need for multi-strategy systematic approaches.

In emerging markets, higher activeness and small-cap allocations improve alpha opportunities.

References:

Morningstar DBRS

Proskauer Private Credit Default Report

Deutsche Bank Global Markets Research

PIMCO Fixed Income Outlook

DeepMacro Model Positioning

State Street Emerging Markets Strategy Research