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    CIO Corner

    Weekly Investment Themes

    Navigate the market landscape using CIO Office's Weekly Investment Themes, highlighting the week's crucial themes.

    • Tweet Storm Markets: When 'Thank You for Your Attention' Becomes the New 'This Time is Different'

      March 24, 2026

      Markets are being whipsawed by Trump's social media announcements, with the latest Iran-related tweets causing wild swings in currencies, oil, and equities as investors grapple with contradictory headlines that can reverse within hours. The core challenge remains that Iran escalation drives oil higher, fueling inflation fears that keep the Fed sidelined and create a negative feedback loop for risk assets, making quality positioning and volatility monetization key strategies in this environment.

    • The Perfect Storm

      March 17, 2026

      The ongoing Middle East conflict has entered its third week, escalating from a "shadow war" to high-intensity state-on-state warfare. The situation reached a critical point with Friday's U.S. strike on Iran's Kharg Island, which handles 90% of Iran's oil exports. President Trump's warnings about targeting additional oil facilities have prompted Iran to adopt a regional contagion strategy.

    • Middle East Conflict Escalation

      March 10, 2026

      Iran's hardliner succession under Mojtaba Khamenei signals prolonged conflict trajectory. This is at complete logggerheads with Trump's unconditional surrender demands, coupled with military escalation. Overall, these suggest no near-term resolutions despite rising casualties, though some overnight developments point to likely easing of tensions "soon". The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues into day ten, driving oil above $100/barrel despite the G-7 strategic reserve deployment. Overall, risk-off sentiment dominates in market: Asian tech has been severely impacted by the energy crisis and stagflation concerns, while USD strengthens amid positioning unwinds. Treasury curve steepening reflects rate cut repricing and inflation fears.

    Contributor

     

    Julia Wang

    CIO North Asia

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      This material has been prepared by the International Wealth Management business line of Nomura International (Hong Kong) Limited (“NIHK”) and/or Nomura Singapore Limited (“NSL”), and if applicable, with the contribution of one or more of its affiliates (collectively, “Nomura Group”). This is not a research report and the contents herein are strictly general and macro in nature and should not be considered research. This material is: (i) for your information only, and we are not soliciting any action based upon it; (ii) not to be construed as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security or investments or accept any services in any jurisdiction where it may be illegal; and (iii) provided on the basis that it must not be relied upon for any purpose.

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