Protecting portfolios during heightened inflation risk

Global financial markets have experienced significant turbulence over recent weeks, driven primarily by the escalating conflict in the Middle East, which has caused a sharp rise in energy prices and forced a rapid reassessment of the global economic outlook. The impact on energy markets has been profound and immediate. Oil prices have risen sharply to around $100 per barrel, with roughly 20 million barrels per day ordinarily passing through the Strait of Hormuz now disrupted. The conflict has caused stress across the broader commodities market, with supply chains for natural gas, heat...