The first six months of 2025 brought many unexpected events and shocks that rocked financial markets and complicated the task of economic forecasters. As we enter the second half of the year, what has changed and what might this mean for the economic outlook for the rest of 2025?

Swaha Pattanaik sits down with Monica Defend, Head of the Amundi Investment Institute, to get her view on the growth and monetary policy outlook for the remainder of 2025.

They discuss the impact of tariffs and geopolitical shifts on growth prospects in the US, China and beyond. They consider which areas might benefit from a weaker US dollar and where yield curves might be heading next.

Finally, they examine the areas of resilience in the markets that could still offer opportunities to investors.

Topics covered: Investment outlook, macroeconomics, forecasts, monetary policy, growth, interest rates, yield curves, bonds, equities, emerging markets, US dollar, China, US, Europe, Fed, debt, valuations, stock market, tariffs, geopolitics, volatility, AI, defence,

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Join our host, Swaha Pattanaik, as she sits down for her regular catch-up with Monica Defend, Head of the Amundi Investment Institute, to give our perspective on the markets, analyse the trends and share our investment views for the weeks ahead.

In this month's review, we discuss what's been driving the rise in yields on longer maturity US and Japanese bonds in recent weeks. Do we expect this trend to continue and what does this mean for fixed income markets more broadly? We also consider the outlook for inflation and monetary policy in the major economies around the globe, look more closely at the US market in particular, and examine how the uncertainty around tariffs has been impacting the equity markets.

Finally, we drill down into the areas and asset classes that could be most appealing to investors, across developed and emerging markets.

Topics covered: Investment views, investment convictions, financial markets, macroeconomics, monetary policy, fiscal policy, inflation, growth, interest rates, central banks, fixed income, yields, US, Japan, equities, bonds, emerging markets, tariffs

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The spring meetings in Washington are a useful platform to gauge opinion of policymakers, economists, bankers and investors from around the world. In this latest edition of our monthly investment views podcast, Monica Defend, Head of Amundi Investment Institute, catches up with Swaha Pattanaik on her return from the US to share Amundi’s latest investment views and talk about the mood in Washington, and what this might mean for the markets.

They discuss the impacts of US tariffs and the retaliatory measures on the global economic outlook, looking particularly at the consequences for growth and inflation expectations. They also consider what’s next for central bank moves and Amundi's forecasts for interest rates. Finally, they wrap up with the main convictions for some of the major global currencies, as well as the equity markets and some of the big things to watch in emerging markets.

Topics covered: Investment views, global outlook, growth, inflation, forecasts, economics, equities, tariffs, US, Europe, emerging markets,

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Against a backdrop of extraordinary global uncertainty, Amundi's 2025 capital market assumptions report explores the game changers that are shaping investment decisions and asset class return expectations. Join Giulio Lombardo as he speaks to Monica Defend, Head of the Amundi Investment Institute, and John O’Toole, Head of Multi-Asset Investment Solutions, to discover this year's main findings and what's changed since last year.

Identifying three major themes for this year, Amundi's 2025 capital market assumptions takes a closer look at new socio-economic scenarios with their higher geopolitical fragmentation and tariffs, it explores the impact of a delayed transition to net zero, and assesses the impact of artificial intelligence at a regional level.

We dig deeper into these big transformative trends, including the macroeconomic and technological shifts, more frequent extreme climate events, and a slow transition, and look at how they are impacting our expectations for long-term returns for different asset classes globally. We also analyse how they're affecting long-term projections for growth and inflation.

Finally, we look at how these developments may drive investment opportunities, particularly in Europe, and how investors can adjust their strategic asset allocation to incorporate these return expectations in their portfolios.

Topics covered: markets, investment, economic, finance, capital market assumptions, return expectations, forecasts, trade, inflation, growth, GDP, central banks, Europe, tariffs, portfolios, asset allocation, equities, fixed income, emerging markets, real assets

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In the fifth and last episode of our series on Shareholder Stewardship, Caroline Le Meaux, Global Head of ESG Research, Engagement, and Voting, and Edouard Dubois, Head of Proxy Voting, engage in a dynamic conversation on voting at annual general assemblies and how it is most effective when coupled with engagement with companies. Dialoguing with companies is very important in the voting activity: it can lead to improvements in companies strategies before or after the AGM has taken place.

This episode will explore what proxy voting is, and why it is important in an overall stewardship strategy of an asset manager. Many themes will be touched upon, including board compensation, Say on Climate resolutions, and filing shareholder resolutions to accelerate improvements in the climate strategy.

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The market roller coaster continues. After riding a wave of optimism in Europe in the wake of the German fiscal bazooka to increase defense spending, the confirmation of US tariffs sent markets suddenly plunging. What will be the economic impact of Trump’s approach to trade and tariffs? Swaha Pattanaik and Monica Defend, Head of the Amundi Investment Institute, sit down for a special edition of Outerblue Research to discuss the latest market and economic developments and what these mean for investors.

We untangle some of the consequences and probable reactions, in the short, medium, and longer term. What will be the impacts on supply chains? How will GDP growth and inflation be impacted? Will we see a recession in the US and what will be reactions from the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank? Finally, we detail some of our main calls for investors looking to increase portfolio resilience in this uncertain market environment.

Topics covered: markets, investment, economic, finance, volatility, tariffs, trade, inflation, growth, GDP, central banks, US, Europe, Trump, portfolios

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In the fourth episode of our five-part series on Shareholder Stewardship, Esther Law, Senior Investment Manager, Emerging Markets Debt and Responsible Investing Lead, and Luda Svystunova, Head of Social Research, engage in a dynamic conversation on shareholder engagement on social cohesion - linking human capital and human rights engagements to responsible investors financial considerations, as well as client and societal responsibilities of issuers.

The engagement agenda on social issues continues to expand as new challenges and opportunities for companies and investors emerge in response to societal, regulatory and technological shifts. In this episode, the discussion centers on Amundi’s stewardship on social issues, the materiality and interlinkages between human capital and human rights, as well as their relationship to climate. Additionally, it also focuses on the impact that technology, especially artificial intelligence, is having on the companies’ responsible conduct agenda and how this is factored into our engagement process.

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In this month's review of the latest developments on the global economy and in financial markets, we focus on the seismic shifts that have been happening in Europe in the past few weeks, in particular, the historic spending package approved by the German parliament. Swaha Pattanaik and Monica Defend, Head of Amundi Investment Institute, catch-up to discuss the remarkable change in policy, and its implications for Germany and the wider Eurozone.

Will the rally in European markets continue and what opportunities does this open up on the equity and fixed income markets? The episode continues by examining the monetary policy outlook in Europe and how this compares to the projections for US growth.

Finally, we look at whether the Chinese stimulus package announcement has changed our view on the economic and market outlook for China.

This month's topics: Germany, Europe, Defense spending, Markets, Growth, Inflation, Equity, Fixed income, US, China, Monetary policy, Interest rates

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