All prices, returns and portfolio weights are as of market close on March 31, 2026, unless otherwise indicated.
There is a deep contradiction between perception and reality that is currently playing out in the U.S. economic landscape. In many ways, it reminds us of the setting to the famous 1999 movie, The Matrix (a friendly spoiler alert for those that haven’t seen it – skip ahead to the next paragraph). In the movie, the world in which the protagonist wakes up is a simulated reality powered by an engine that most don’t see. This “invisible engine” dynamic helps us square the inconsistency between the prevailing narrative of U.S. economic fragility and incoming data that shows resilience.
Despite the recovery in broad risk over the past few months, the underlying issue remains the same. The decades-long integration of global trade — with the United States at the hub — has been permanently disrupted. And unless we see a complete reversal from the Trump administration, the current regime of higher trade barriers is likely here to stay.
What’s more, we also appear to be in the early stages of something more nefarious — a capital war. As congressional members pass the “One, Big, Beautifull Bill Act”, a provision like Section 899, even if excluded, should send a reminder to non-U.S. investors that foreign investment is becoming less welcome than it has been in the past.
A long-short strategy is a popular alternative strategy that has been traditionally used by hedge funds that combines long and short positions within a portfolio to capitalize on rises and declines in stock prices at the same time. The goal of the strategy is to generate better risk adjusted returns by benefitting from both directions of price movements in the market.
When markets turn, is your portfolio built to hold up? In this episode, Hilly Cutler and Bipan Rai join host, Tasha Konkin, to explore defensive investing — covering dividend, quality, low-volatility, and long-short strategies, and how they can help investors stay resilient in any market environment. Tasha Konkin is Director of ETFs for Western Canada at BMO Global Asset Management (BMO GAM). She is joined by Hilly Cutler, Director of Portfolio Consulting and Senior Portfolio Consultant at BMO GAM and Bipan Rai, Head of ETF Strategy, Exchange Traded Funds at BMO GAM. This episode was recorded live on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.
As a shifting economic backdrop fans recession fears in the U.S., is a soft landing still on the table? In this episode, ETF Strategist Bipan Rai, and your host, Erika Toth, analyze the market outlook. They also discuss our third quarter investment strategy reports and portfolio construction across asset classes. Erika Toth is a Director of Institutional and Advisory for Eastern Canada at BMO Global Asset Management (BMO GAM). She is joined on the podcast by Bipan Rai, Head of ETF Strategy, at BMO GAM. The episode was recorded live on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.