The Wealth Forum Dublin

The need for alternatives in an uncertain world

Ruffer Total Return International

Continued geopolitical uncertainty and fragmentation, the rise of AI and fiscal ill-discipline have made today’s macro environment one of the most complex in decades. Traditional portfolio anchors are no longer as reliable: bond / equity correlations don’t always provide ballast and diversification and the US dollar is no longer a reliable safe haven. For investors, the question is no longer just how to grow, but where to find safety when the usual safe havens falter. This session explores what truly diversifies a portfolio in this new regime. From commodities and precious metals that can protect against inflation, to derivatives strategies that offer genuinely uncorrelated returns, to cheap currencies that thrive on volatility, we’ll examine the tools investors can use when markets feel unanchored. Ultimately, this is about repositioning portfolios for resilience in an uncertain world: identifying where to hide, where to stay flexible, and how to build a structure that can withstand shocks without standing still.

Fund Manager

Ian Rees

Ruffer

Joined Ruffer in 2012, graduating from the University of Bath with an honours degree in economics. Ian managed portfolios for a range of institutional investors and worked on equity research in our Hong Kong office, becoming a fund manager on our investment team. He is a CFA charterholder and has a keen interest in bottom-up equity research.

The new bull market for commodities - Where next for precious metals, critical minerals and miners?'

Baker Steel Electrum Fund & Baker Steel Precious Metals Fund

Director, Market Strategy

Cosmo Sturge

Baker Steel

Cosmo is the Director of Market Strategy at Baker Steel and is based in London. He joined the firm in 2010 and became a partner in the business in 2017. Cosmo is responsible for the coordination of the firm’s marketing and investor relations activities, alongside market and sector research for use in investor communications.

Oaktree Global Credit Select Strategy

Head of European Liquid Performing Credit

Madelaine Jones, CFA

Brookfield Asset Management

Ms. Jones joined Oaktree’s London office in 2003 and serves as Head of European Liquid Performing Credit, portfolio manager for the European High Yield Bond and European Senior Loan strategies, and a co-portfolio manager for the Global High Yield Bond strategy.  She is also a member of the firm’s EMEA Diversity & Inclusion Committee.  Before joining Oaktree, Ms. Jones spent more than three years at Deutsche Bank AG in London as a senior associate in the Leveraged Debt Origination Group specializing in loan, mezzanine and high yield bond financings to support European leveraged buyouts.  Prior thereto, she spent two years in the Acquisition Finance Group at Natwest Group plc.  Ms. Jones received a B.A. degree in economics from the University of Durham, England.  She is a CFA charterholder.

Winning by Not Losing: Troy’s Multi-Asset Strategy

A low-drawdown approach built to protect capital and compound steadily through market cycles

Investment Specialist

Michael Kinsella

Troy Asset Management

Michael is an investment specialist on the Multi-Asset Strategy. Michael joined the Business Development Team at Troy in May 2016 from Veritas Investment Management where he worked as an Assistant Portfolio Manager. Michael graduated from Dublin Business School with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies in 2005. He holds a Master’s in Wealth Management from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, the Investment Management Certificate (IMC), and the Certificate in ESG Investing.

Redwheel Global Equity Income Strategy

Is the market simply Teflon or complacent? How to position for a return to normalised volatility.

Equity markets are seemingly impervious to any shocks. Are companies simply unaffected or is the market being too complacent. The risk this builds points to a return to a more normal environment of volatility. What does this mean for how investors should position themselves within their equity portfolios.

Portfolio Manager

Nick Clay

Redwheel

High Yield-Like Income. Investment Grade Issuers. What's the Catch?

Many investors associate higher levels of income with higher levels of risk. However, opportunities within bank and insurance capital can offer a different proposition: the ability to access high yield-like income from issuers that are often investment grade rated and subject to some of the most stringent regulatory oversight in global markets. In this session, Lloyd Harris, Head of Fixed Income, will explain how the asset class works, why bank fundamentals are much stronger than many investors realise, and how a highly active investment approach seeks to generate returns through identifying market inefficiencies and relative value opportunities. The discussion will be relevant both to investors already familiar with the asset class and those looking to understand whether it could have a role within a diversified portfolio.

Fund Manager

Lloyd Harris

Premier Miton

WCM Global Growth Equity

Managing Director

Charlotte Sargent

WCM Investment Management

Host

Chairman Marr

Editorial Director

Julian Marr

Wealthwise