Global Investment Outlook

New Year 2025

Regional outlook

Canada’s economy started 2024 strongly but softened slightly as the year progressed, with goods and services both slowing along with some offsetting improvement in mining and petroleum output.

Executive summary

Investors are enthused by a combination of moderating inflation, falling interest rates and Trump’s election victory, which signals the potential for more U.S. growth, lower taxes and less regulation. Stocks climbed to record levels as a result. While valuation risk is mostly concentrated in U.S. large-cap growth stocks, many global equity markets still offer attractive return potential.

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One-minute market update

Economy

The economy has stabilized in recent months as inflation concerns moderate and headwinds created by higher borrowing costs fade amid interest-rate cuts.

Fixed Income

We think bonds are appropriately priced in most major sovereign-bond markets except Japan, with return potential ranging from low single digits to mid single digits, and the greatest return potential being in U.S. Treasuries.

Equity markets

Global equities delivered impressive gains in the past year with the strongest returns generated by U.S. megacap technology stocks, but gains began to broaden in the summer as other areas posted strong returns.