Good morning!
December’s Invested brings together market insight, emerging risks, and cautious optimism. From navigating volatility across multi-asset and commodities strategies, to exploring AI’s role in mental-health care, evolving environment, social, and governance (ESG) dynamics, stablecoins, and signals worrying central banks, this issue connects the forces shaping finance and society. We close the year with forward-looking ideas and a reminder that progress is still unfolding.
Happy Reading!
VIEWPOINT SPOTLIGHT
INSIGHTS FROM THE VIEWPOINT TEAM
November Monthly Commentary
November underscored the value of balance. While VEMA and VCOM navigated short-term volatility, both strategies continue to demonstrate strong longer-term performance amid shifting AI narratives, evolving rate expectations, and cross-asset divergences. From commodities to multi-asset positioning, our Monthly Commentary unpacks what’s driving market, and why diversification matters now more than ever. Read more for the full strategy and market update.
INSIGHTS FROM THE VIEWPOINT FOUNDATION
EXPLORING PHILANTHROPIC TRENDS & IMPACTFUL INITIATIVES
When the Therapist Is a Chatbot: Promise, Safeguards, and the Limits of AI-Mediated Care
AI-powered “therapist bots” are emerging as a response to deep gaps in mental-health care, but promise comes with complexity. This article from the Viewpoint Foundation explores how purpose-built digital therapists differ from general AI, the safeguards behind them, and the ethical tensions they raise. As demand outpaces access, where do these tools truly help, and where do risks remain? Read more to explore the limits and responsibilities of AI-mediated care.
DECEMBER’S INVESTMENT PULSE
WHAT TODAY’S MODERN MARKET TRENDS REVEAL ABOUT INVESTOR THINKING
Posthaste: A market Phenomenon Not Seen in 50 Years is Raising Red Flags at the World’s Central Bank
A market signal not seen in half a century has global central bankers on edge. The Bank for International Settlements warns that stocks and gold surging together may point to two bubbles forming at once which are fuelled largely by retail investor exuberance. What happens when both risk assets and safe havens look overheated? Read more of this Financial Post article to learn why this worries the world’s central bank.
Outlook 2026: If You’re Into ESG, ‘Invest, but Don’t Crow About It’
ESG investing is evolving to be less headline-grabbing and more quietly integrated into long-term strategy. As political scrutiny rises and definitions blur, many investors are still embedding sustainability factors, just without the fanfare. This Canadian Family Offices article explores why ESG hasn’t disappeared, how it’s changing, and what that means for portfolios heading into 2026. Read more for a nuanced take on ESG’s next chapter.
Why the ‘Stablecoin Supercycle’ Could Rewire Banking
Why might a “stablecoin supercycle” reshape the world of banking? This Financial Times piece explores how the rapid rise of stablecoins could upend traditional financial systems, transform payment rails, and challenge the role of central banks in money creation and lending. Intrigued by the future of finance? Read more to understand what’s at stake.
PODCAST PICK
UNLOCKING INSIGHTS, ONE EPISODE AT A TIME
Affirm’s Max Levchin Breaks Down How Buy Now, Pay Later Really Works
Max Levchin has shaped the modern payments landscape, starting from his early PayPal days to founding Affirm, a $22-billion Buy Now, Pay Later disruptor. In this Odd Lots episode, he unpacks how BNPL really works, why it challenges credit cards, and what’s ahead for AI, crypto, and the economy. Listen to the full conversation for an insider’s perspective.
MORE TO EXPLORE
CURATED READS FOR THE INQUISITIVE
Tom Standage’s Ten Trends to Watch in 2026
As 2026 approaches, the forces reshaping the world are gaining speed. From AI’s next phase and shifting geopolitics to climate pressures, economics, and social change, Tom Standage outlines ten trends set to define the year ahead in this article for The Economist. This forward-looking analysis connects the dots across global system and explains why what happens next will matter everywhere. Read on for a view of the year to come.
Shinga. Ray of Hope. Alphafold/Miura-ori fold 🧬💠. Measles ↓.
This will be our final Invested edition of the year so we’re ending on a hopeful note with a curated collection of good news stories from around the world. From sharp declines in global measles deaths and AlphaFold’s breakthroughs in biology, to clean energy momentum and grassroots health innovations, this issue of Fix the News is a reminder that meaningful progress is happening, often quietly, and worth celebrating as we head into the year ahead.