Oil

OPEC+ is planning to boost its crude oil output at a time of lingering demand weakness. 

What is driving this decision? And will Chinese oil consumption – historically a key contributor to global oil demand growth – reaccelerate and justify the coalition’s decision to bring back more supply to the market? 

This report answers these questions and more.

Colombian financial markets have rallied on the expectation that a right-wing government will be elected in 2026. We take a contrarian bearish stance on the nation's financial markets. Colombia is suffering from two structural macro issues – unsustainable public debt and plunging energy exports – that will not be easily solved by a conservative administration in 2026. Continue underweighting Colombia within EM equity and fixed-income portfolios, continue shorting the COP versus the USD and the CLP, and bet on yield curve steepening.

The tariffs on Canada and Mexico will come into effect as scheduled while the tariffs on China will be doubled. In the Middle East, Iranian response to any attack will threaten Middle Eastern oil supply. Meanwhile, Chinese fiscal support will surprise to the upside at the Two Sessions. But Trump's China policy will cause volatility. Now that the stock market is cracking, reinitiate defensive trades, such as long treasuries versus US stocks and long global defensives versus cyclicals.

The 3-3-3 plan pitched by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will need several improbabilities to break its way if it is to meet its goals. We think it is much more likely that the plan will disappoint. Defensive asset allocations will outperform once it becomes clear that 3-3-3 will fall short, but we are currently neutral across the board because the disappointment may be months away.