Investment Outlook Q2 2026
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Commodities - Technical Analysis
The prices of the two precious metals corrected higher, reaching their downtrend lines, from which they turned downward again. These charts still do not offer significant long opportunities. Oil, on the other hand, broke through the minor corrective trend line and has resumed its upward trajectory. A return to the previous price level around 120 is also a possibility. The price of natural gas may currently test the downward trend line before turning upward. Copper has reached the expected level where its longer-term upward trend was extending, so it has also begun an upward correction. Wheat and corn prices appear to be consolidating as long as their key support levels remain intact.
Alibaba: a short-term burden can become a driving force later on
Alibaba reported quarterly results in March that fell short of expectations; fierce competition in e-commerce continues to weigh on profitability, despite strong performance in the cloud business. Looking ahead, however, the situation may be on a path to gradual improvement, while new launches continue to roll out in AI services, which could represent significant business potential for the coming years. The market still does not price this in at current price levels, so even if heavy capex spending have a negative impact on performance in the short term, the company may be able to outgrow this over time. Moreover, due to the decline in share prices over the past few months, valuation levels are now more favorable, so we are maintaining the stock on our Equity Top Pick List.
In the shadow of the Iran war, it's worth shifting investment exposures toward a more defensive stance.
Macro
The U.S. is more insulated from the Iran conflict than Europe and Asia due to relative energy independence, yet it remains exposed to oil-price shocks, supply-chain disruptions, and cost pressures. The GDP outlook has become more uncertain, inflation runs above target, with upside risks. The Iran war could trigger weaker growth in the Eurozone, but probably not a recession. In the base case, a 2022 crisis may be avoidable. The Fed might keep rates on hold for a while, while ECB could deliver also hikes this year. Due to inflation risks and the low term premium, we do not consider that longer USD and EUR bonds are attractive. EURHUF looks to be fairly priced with the current set of energy prices and could be attractive in a case of an energy price correction. The long end of the yield curve at around 7.5% looks to be attractive.
Equities
For the time being, the correction has not been sufficient to offset the risks associated with a negative outcome of the war (higher for longer energy prices), as equities are expensive, and the profit cycle is in its late stages. While maintaining a neutral exposure, we are shifting our regional and sectoral recommendations toward a more defensive stance. As a net energy exporter, the economy is less affected in the US, so it may outperform in the short term, but its high valuation poses a risk should long-term yields rise further. The situation in Iran is not as critical for Europe and CEE as the Russia-Ukraine conflict was in 2022, but it is having a more severe impact on growth and inflation than in the US, so we downgrade them to slight underweight and neutral. The strengthening dollar, rising interest rate expectations, and growth risks, could put an end to emerging markets’ recent outperformance. However, strong earnings momentum and improved valuations, providing cushion. We removed some cyclical, high beta exposures from our preferred sector list, like copper, uranium miners and European small caps, and added healthcare as a defensive play.
Bonds
As upside inflation risks have intensified, this could tie the hands of the Fed and the ECB when it comes to cutting interest rates in the coming quarters. In the short term, the likelihood of a stagflation-like outcome has increased, so it is advisable to shift toward a more cautious stance by overweighting cash-like exposures over longer-term bonds.
Commodities
We maintain our neutral view on commodities, as the longer-term outlook depends largely on the duration of the war in the Middle East and the extent of the damage it causes, which is difficult to assess for the time being. In a worst case scenario, prices could rise further, but a deescalation and/or demand destruction would lead to price falls from current elevated levels (especially oil and LNG prices).The upside and downside risks offset each other.
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