ETF Portfolio Strategy: What to Watch in Q4 2026
From sticky inflation and rising bond yields to growing questions around AI, the macro backdrop is getting more complex. In this episode, special guest Bipan Rai joins host Zayla Saunders to unpack his Q4 portfolio strategy and what it means to stay invested — and protected — this quarter.
Zayla Saunders is Vice President of ETF Online Distribution at BMO Global Asset Management (BMO GAM) and Bipan Rai is Head of ETF & Structured Solutions Strategy at BMO GAM. This episode was recorded live on Friday, October 9, 2026.
ETFs mentioned:
- BMO Broad Commodity ETF (Ticker: ZCOM)
- BMO MSCI USA High Quality Index ETF (Ticker: ZUQ)
- BMO US Equity Buffer Hedged to CAD ETF – October (Ticker: ZOCT)
Sources:
‘Sirens on the horizon’ – Q4 2026 portfolio strategy report
The Open Outcry podcast with Bipan Rai
The Fed: The U.S. Federal Reserve Board
Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total monetary value of all final goods and services produced within a country’s borders in a specific time period, serving as the main measure of a nation’s economic size.
Non-Farm Payrolls (NFP): A key U.S. jobs report released monthly that measures how many jobs were added or lost in the economy, excluding farm workers and a few other categories.
Duration: A measure of the sensitivity of the price of a fixed income investment to a change in interest rates. Duration is expressed as number of years. The price of a bond with a longer duration would be expected to rise (fall) more than the price of a bond with lower duration when interest rates fall (rise).
The Strait of Hormuz: A narrow waterway between Oman and Iran that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is considered one of the world’s most strategically significant shipping lanes, through which a substantial share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports pass.
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