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A slow economic recovery will continue, as governments and central banks search for the right policy mix amid the COVID-19 crisis. The policy will implicitly aim to manage many financial markets, but such efforts will not stop volatility. Strategic asset allocation remains the best way to navigate a still very uncertain investment environment.

Having become accustomed to the "new normal" of Quantitative Easing, ultra-low interest rates, and Fed-suppressed market volatility, investors must now learn to live with a "new, new normal" as the Federal Reserve's COVID-19 response reset market conditions and expectations. This podcasts describes seven important facts about the current market environment, all relevant to investment decision-making.

The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated the move from traditional office environment to work-from-home for most American office workers. It is clear that a significant portion of workers will move from a five-day in-office work week to something else. Recognizing, navigating, and adapting to the new office environment will be key to successful investing in the sector.

Over the past ten years U.S. equities have outperformed their non-U.S. peers, however history shows outperformance cycles through time. Contributing factors include differences in index compositions, narrow U.S. leadership, and currency headwinds for non-U.S. equities. Abandoning a diversified approach could result in missed opportunities as the recent trends can reverse quickly and without warning.

With the ongoing pandemic, a weakening economic recovery, and the upcoming elections, emotions are understandably high. It becomes even more important to filter out the emotion, which is something the best investors do. Other topics explored in this issue includes taking a deeper dive on the importance of diversification and maintaining a long-term lens.

One of today’s dominant macro-trends is the reversal of globalization—the free flow of people, goods, services, capital, technology, and ideas across national borders. COVID-19 has further accelerated the deglobalization. In this environment, equity investors may have a harder time finding steady profitability and value. Taking a look at how we got here and moving forward, history provides insights on how to navigate the challenge.

While inflation continues to trend below target, the possibility for unexpected higher inflation shouldn't be ignored. A shift in Fed policy has resulted in a stance that lowers the likelihood of combatting inflation for the foreseeable future. And the impact of inflation on certain investment strategies should be considered during portfolio construction.

Although no previous election year had this year’s unique set of circumstances—a global pandemic, an economic recession, the fastest equity market correction on record (and subsequent recovery), multiple natural disasters, and social unrest—there are some insights available when examining the individual effect of each variable. Facing a year of momentous challenges and uncertainty, how should investors position their portfolios?

In this quarterly update, see the key areas of focus that drive investment returns and the implementation strategies around six themes that include a demand for responsible investment.

Global equities were hit hard during the first quarter of 2020, erasing most of 2019's gains. Credit-oriented fixed income was also hit, but to a lesser extent, while U.S. Treasury bonds perfored well. Investors may find portfolios out of balance relative to target allocations. Is now the time to rebalance?