Growth concerns, risks heightening, but investors should keep a clear head

SINGAPORE (July 16): The escalating, multi-front trade war between the US and major economies, particularly China, is casting a shadow on the global economic growth outlook. Coupled with rising interest rates and growing concerns that the longest US bull market in history might be on its last legs, investors could be starting to worry. In Singapore, the Straits Times Index has erased the gains it made earlier this year, falling back below the 3,300 mark.

Yet, despite these concerns, A J Kahling, senior manager of trader education and market strategy at brokerage firm TD Ameritrade, is urging people to stay invested. Everyone should “take deep breaths and consider all aspects of the market”, he says at The Edge Singapore’s 2018 mid-year investment forum on July 7. Kahling was one of four speakers invited to share their views on the mid-year outlook.

Nevertheless, investors need to keep close tabs on further developments on the trade front. Action might just follow rhetoric; with much pride at stake, both the US and China are unlikely to back down easily. Trade tensions might just ratchet up, with more retaliatory measures lobbed by either side on a wider mix of products, says Kahling.

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