family business

What was the real return on the US ten-year bond over the past two years? Flat? Down a little?

Wrong – down a lot. The bedrock of the balanced portfolio has delivered a real return of -20% over the past two years [1].

That’s the worst inflation-adjusted performance since 1981 [2].

Traditional balanced portfolios rely on equities and bonds fulfilling their roles – equities for good times, bonds to cushion the bad. But after a torrid three months for markets, investors are being forced to tear up the rulebook.

Brewing heir Santo Domingo backs Chelsea FC takeover bid
Colombian-born billionaire brewing heir Alejandro Santo Domingo [picured left] has announced his backing for the bid to buy Chelsea Football Club.

Santo Domingo, who sits on the board of the world’s largest brewer ABInBev, has joined part of the investor group spearheaded by former Liverpool FC and British Airways chairman Sir Martin Broughton.

The Russia-Ukraine war adds to near-term growth risks for the global economy and will likely keep inflation elevated for longer. While uncertainty is high, equity markets are oversold and should recover if tensions ease in the coming months says Russell Investments’ global head of investment strategy Andrew Pease.

Key market themes

With a family line that dates to the year 1000, Octavian Pilati learnt from an early age the weight and importance of legacy. But when a crisis saw him taking over the family business at the age of 26 and subsequently shepherding a successful exit, he saw an opportunity to break out on his own and advise others of the pitfalls of fractured family dynamics and unclear succession planning.