Tag: uncertainty

Investors should use mental models to find stillness in the midst of volatility. With gold reaching all-time highs and the JSE All-Share Index posting major gains, global markets remain full of activity. US fiscal concerns and ongoing geopolitical tensions add even more uncertainty. At present, there is rarely a dull moment for markets. However, this constant volatility generates mental noise.

Perhaps this is your current situation. Being placed on a performance improvement plan can feel like a punch to the gut. It is feedback, but it also comes loaded with fear, doubt and worry. You may find yourself asking, “Am I failing? Is my job at stake? Do they even want me here?”

For much of the last century, investment success depended on foresight. Investors believed they could anticipate market cycles, economic turning points and policy changes to stay ahead. But that paradigm is shifting. Today, markets no longer respond only to fundamentals such as interest rates or corporate earnings. Instead, fast-moving, unpredictable forces now dominate.

Companies are struggling to take the first step into Artificial Intelligence (AI). However, there is a way around the overwhelm. AI has become the corporate obsession of 2025. From the explosion of ChatGPT to the everyday integration of tools like Microsoft Copilot, companies echo with conversations.

There has been a noticeable shift in global trade. While it might feel distant, it is already knocking on South Africa’s door. Tariffs are climbing again, fast and hard. Our research shows that the average US tariff rate has risen from around 2.4 percent at the end of 2024 to 29 percent today. That is the highest level in over a century.

Investment management is fundamentally about improving the odds of success in an environment defined by uncertainty. Market commentary often centres on returns. However, what truly matters to clients is whether their portfolios deliver the outcomes they need, when they need them and within tolerable levels of risk.

Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) take our jobs in the future? No. But people who know how to use AI effectively just might. The World Economic Forum predicts this shift, which is why our education system must embrace the opportunities AI offers. We must stop treating new technologies as threats or sources of fear.

We have announced the release of our latest report, ‘CEO Agenda 2025’. This comprehensive study offers critical insights into the complex challenges facing global CEOs. It also presents strategic priorities for leaders as a roadmap for navigating a rapidly evolving world.

With boundaries between work and personal life growing blurrier than ever, a growing movement has emerged across the globe. This movement seeks to formalise, and even commit to policy - the right of employees to disconnect completely during personal downtime.

The current pace and flux of geopolitics continue to disrupt markets, keeping investors worldwide on tenterhooks. The US/China relationship, in particular, is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world. In a way, it is the axis around which other global events are turning.