Amid trade wars, regional conflicts and political turmoil, the world is experiencing perhaps-unprecedented change. How are family offices’ investment strategies responding? In this special report—our first on the state of global markets today—we’ll talk to the experts about where the opportunities and the risks are, and how family offices can prepare themselves for whatever may lie ahead.
It is a tricky time for family offices trying to decipher not only where to invest their money, but also their time and energy. Citi Wealth’s latest Global Family Offices Report provides a few breadcrumbs in terms of how family offices are responding: globally, they are building long-term strategies underpinned by key themes of capital, capability and continuity.
According to Yannick Archambault, market executive for Canada for Citi Private Bank, priorities for Canadian family offices and enterprising families include navigating increasingly complex global public and private market portfolios, institutionalizing how wealth is managed, and preparing for significant generational transitions.
Upcoming articles
Next week, Joel Schlesinger sits down with three family office capital allocators to discuss whether they’re paring back U.S. exposure amid growing risks. The experts are concerned about tariffs, rising debt and the war in Iran, among other things. Schlesinger has turned these conversations into a two-part series, so stay tuned for the second part later in the month.
Given the state of the U.S. stock market, this should be an interesting read. The S&P 500 has never been more concentrated—in just three stocks—than it is today, with Nvidia (NVDA), Apple (AAPL) and Microsoft (MSFT) representing over 21 per cent of the benchmark index (as of Oct. 6, 2026).
Later, one of our writers will dig into elevated U.S. bond yields, and what happens next after surpassing the five per cent threshold. That mark is viewed as psychologically important for investors, but the underlying question is how borrowing costs will weigh on equities and the health of the overall economy. In September, the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield was trading around 5.29 per cent to 5.35 per cent, reaching levels not seen since 2007.
In another article, contributor Peter Kenter turns his attention to the Middle East. Yes, oil prices have been on a rollercoaster amid openings and closings of the Strait of Hormuz, but wider questions persist around security. As conflict and the potential for further missile strikes on the UAE and other countries continue, has money flowed out of the area? And if it has, where has it gone?
Meanwhile, writer Leah Golob will take a look at China, specifically Chinese equities, which have been generally disappointing to investors trying to capitalize on long-term growth. Is now the time to reconsider them for an investment portfolio? Golob will also investigate areas for investors to consider—or avoid—and whether China’s rising geopolitical stature is translating into more positive investor sentiment.
If you have any questions throughout the month, please don’t hesitate to reach out to newsroom@canadianfamilyoffices.com. We love hearing from our readers.
Ashley Redmond is a senior editor at Canadian Family Offices. She is Toronto-based journalist and has over 15 years of experience covering the investment industry. She has written for The Globe and Mail, Morningstar Inc., and Huffington Post.
Please visit here to see information about our standards of journalistic excellence.