New World Order
In 1899, Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling penned the poem The White Man’s Burden. Widely decried, the work came with a grossly imperialist message that the West had a moral obligation to lead ...
Chief Investment Office - Hong Kong7 Jul 2025
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In 1899, Jungle Book author Rudyard Kipling penned the poem The White Man’s Burden. Widely decried, the work came with a grossly imperialist message that the West had a moral obligation to lead the “non-white” peoples into civility.

Unfortunately, history is doomed to repeat itself and today we have Trump’s American Burden. This is one where, at least going by the Commander-in-Chief’s rhetoric, the US has to shoulder being the world’s policeman – all while suffering foreign slights like trade imbalances and currency manipulation.

The reality of this “burden”, of course, is much more complex. Being the largest economy in the world also means that the US has the most vested interest in maintaining global stability.

However, we are not here to poke holes in policy. The US’ unburdening, or even merely talks of such, signals a new acceleration in the unravelling of the old order built on liberal trade, international co-operation, and the economic leadership of the US.

As American leadership becomes increasingly unreliable, players have to find their footing in a new, multipolar world. This presents clear investment opportunities. For one, increasing global fragmentation, plus the threat of America’s retreat from defence responsibility will lead to a boom in defence spending.

In the same vein, the de-risking of supply chains will result in a need for diversification. This goes beyond goods and natural resources to include human capital. On this front, we are optimistic about humanoids – robots built to mimic human dexterity – as a solution for the inevitable reshoring of manufacturing.

Finally, gold remains a stalwart in a VUCA world. As we’ve reiterated, structural tailwinds including central bank buying and geopolitical strife remain unflinching for the precious metal. Enjoy the read, and I hope that this issue of CIO Vantage Point can serve as a source of rationalism and opportunity in the new era of American isolationism.

Hou Wey Fook, CFA Chief Investment Officer

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