The Short and Long Q4 2026 Macro Investment View: Building Resilient Portfolios in a Higher-Rate Environment
The CIO team focuses on identifying the developments that genuinely change the investment landscape and finding opportunities that volatility and uncertainty may create. Our job is to separate signals from noise and seek resilient portfolios grounded in fundamentals.
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The Short and Long is Citi Wealth's Chief Investment Office flagship podcast series. Hosted by Chief Investment Officer Kate Moore, each episode brings together professionals across markets, technology, and macroeconomics to deliver clear, timely perspectives on the forces shaping the investment landscape. Whether you are an investor, a business leader, or simply looking to better understand the markets, The Short and the Long is our guide designed to help you navigate complexity with confidence and clarity.
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The fourth quarter will test that discipline again. The U.S. midterm elections and two live Fed meetings before year-end will generate plenty of noise on their own. Central bank decisions in Europe and Japan, the ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine, trade agreements and tariffs, and Brazil’s October election will add to it.
Our views are anchored by our five core convictions:
1. Growth remains resilient and economic expansion should continue. We expect continued growth, while inflation and labor-market conditions keep pressure on policymakers to tighten. Good growth does not guarantee easy markets, but it gives investors a reason to consider staying invested.
2. AI is broadening, not ending. The next phase will increasingly focus on who monetizes AI and who benefits from the enormous investment required to build and deploy it. We will focus on companies that can convert investment into stronger businesses and higher earnings.
3. Higher rates change the portfolio math. Bonds still have a role, but investors should not assume duration will automatically provide either strong returns or protection from equity volatility. The investment regime has changed, and portfolios need to reflect it.
4. Diversification needs to diversify. Owning more assets is not enough. We want exposures with genuinely different economic and market sensitivities, including commodities.
5. Static portfolios are increasingly inadequate. Markets, policy, correlations and potential opportunities change. Portfolios should change with them.
