Last weeks Morningstar Investor Conference in Chicago may have echoed with many of the same old solutions of the past, but for those who listened carefully to Mohamed El-Erians message, This time its different.
El-Erian, who is co-chief executive and co-chief investment officer at
The unthinkable has become thinkable. This is not noise; these are signals, and understanding these signals is the difference between superior performance and the opposite, El-Erian said.
Although the speech was lacking in terms of concrete solutions, El-Erian attempted to discuss both sides of the economic predicament and stayed positive by noting that times of crisis also inevitably bring certain opportunity for those that can properly position themselves. He also touched on issues like inflation and the emergence of other markets in the global economy, saying that they need to be accounted for and taken very seriously.
Others, like Don Phillips, a managing director at
Its not the first time weve had to worry about inflation, just the first time in a few decades.Its not that we havent seen globalization coming, its that we might not have recognized the permanent changes would be this fast, Phillips said.
Phillips suggests that investors broadly diversify, make note of inflation and absolute returns, and simply stick with their plans. Overall, avoid being swayed by whats hot in the moment, and stay focused and patient.
El-Erian, who is also the author of a new book called When Markets Collide, truly believes that investors need to prepare themselves for changing world, and changing markets.I hate the notion of saying This time its different, but there simply is too much research showing that this time it really is different, El-Erian concluded.