Authored by: Sehr Dsani

2025 Outlook: Public Equities

We expect developed markets value and small-cap equities to outperform, given our economic views and their steep valuation discounts. Regionally, we believe US equity performance will not match the level set in 2024, allowing European, Japanese, and emerging markets equities to perform more in line with broader developed markets. Within emerging markets, strong Indian equity gains should moderate, while we doubt Chinese equities will collapse. At the same time, we expect long/short equity strategies will perform better than typical.

2025 Outlook: Real Assets

We expect public infrastructure equities to perform similarly to developed market equities in 2025, propelled by supportive regulations for energy transition and strong demand for power infrastructure to fuel AI. While we believe US REITs should underperform US equities, US private real estate funds raised in 2025 should generate above-average returns, benefiting from distressed deals and solid fundamentals.

2025 Outlook: Currencies

We expect the US dollar rally will ultimately cool, with early strength giving way to modest weakening. Meanwhile, gold returns are likely to moderate in 2025 after a surge in 2024. Emerging markets’ use of stablecoins should support positive crypto returns, driving blockchain innovations and investment opportunities.