Insight Investment -Tue, 04/29/2025 - 23:28

Global Macro Research: A New World Order

The global economy is undergoing a profound transformation, marked by unprecedented uncertainty and rapid change as a new world order emerges. This paper delves into the critical factors driving this reshaping and examines the potential implications for investors and policymakers.

The multilateral order is unravelling: Pax Americana, which embodies the rule-based order and common ideals that united nations since WWII, is crumbling. Faced with the headwinds of deglobalization, demographic decline and the debt overhang, the system is no longer able to generate sufficient growth to sustain itself.
Enhancing GDP per capita has become imperative: Without population growth, the only path to sustainable economic growth is to expand GDP per capita. However, productivity has been declining, and labor intensity faces significant challenges in an aging society.
Artificial intelligence is a potential catalyst for revolutionary productivity gains: This exciting new technology may have the potential to restore growth in GDP per capita but will require vast amounts of resources. Given debt levels, the competition for resources will be a stark reality to face in future.
Inflating away our problems carries risks but may become inevitable: Ailing economies could attempt to inflate the problems away and central banks may be forced to relax inflation targets as it becomes politically unpalatable to suppress wage growth.
The path to interregnum and a new world order: Governments have been exhausting every available policy tool and are likely to resort to even more interventionist policies in the years ahead as they attempt to safeguard the system.
Accept uncertainty and build resilience: As we review the investment landscape, it’s not just the components of the game that are being changed, but the very rules themselves that are being radically altered. This creates a very different level of uncertainty. Now is not the time for heroics; stay focused on your objectives and maintain optionality with liquid assets that can be swiftly redeployed if uncertainty declines and opportunities arise.

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Contacts

Insight Investment

Insight is a global asset manager specializing in fixed income and risk management strategies with $836.1bn in AUM¹. We have been working with insurers since 1934 and manage $32bn for over 80 insurers globally. Our investment philosophy offers clients innovative yet practical investment solutions. We manage custom fixed income strategies to help meet clients evolving needs, such as liquidity, principal preservation, earnings stability, tax minimization and total return.

Insight is subsidiary of BNY, which offers insurance clients additional services and access to boutique investment management teams. These services offer the potential for deeper collaboration across your portfolio.

As of March 31, 2026. Assets under management (AUM) are represented by the value of the client’s assets and liabilities Insight is asked to manage. These will primarily be the mark-to-market value of securities managed on behalf of clients, including collateral if applicable. Where a client mandate requires Insight to manage some or all of a client’s liabilities (e.g. LDI strategies), AUM will be equal to the value of the client specific liability benchmark and/or the notional value of other risk exposure through the use of derivatives. Where the methodology defines it, some asset reporting focuses on cash securities only. Insight North America (INA) is part of ‘Insight’ or ‘Insight Investment’, the corporate brand for certain asset management companies operated by Insight Investment Management Limited including, among others, Insight Investment Management (Global) Limited (IIMG), Insight Investment International Limited (IIIL) and Insight Investment Management (Europe) Limited (IIMEL). Advisory services referenced herein are available in the US only through INA. Legal entity Insight North America LLC’s AUM is $164.5bn as of March 31, 2026. Figures shown in USD. FX rates as per WM Reuters 4pm spot rates.

¹ Includes $32.1bn following the completed transition of BNY Wealth’s municipal bond and taxable fixed income team to Insight on October 1, 2025, assets stated as of December 31, 2025 and includes $3.8bn attributable to certain accounts managed by Insight’s affiliate, BNY Mellon, National Association, for which certain Insight investment personnel act as dual officers. Such accounts pursue the same or similar investment strategies to those pursued by Insight clients. 2 Includes employees of Insight North America LLC and its affiliates, which provide asset management services as part of Insight, the corporate brand for certain companies operated by Insight Investment Management Limited (IIML).

Jeffrey Berman

Head of North America Distribution
Jeffrey.Berman@insightinvestment.com
+1 212 365 3341

Ryan McMurdie

Director, Insurance Solutions
Ryan.McMurdie@InsightInvestment.com
+1 917 208 0115

200 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10166
www.insightinvestment.com

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