Insights

The FOMC, BoC, BoE, ECB, RBA, and BoJ held policy meetings this week amid uncertainty caused by the Middle East crisis. While policymakers acknowledged that uncertainty, markets increasingly believe central banks may need to tighten policy rates.

The U.S. central bank wields a powerful hammer with its ability to move interest rates. Despite its strength, though, we think the central bank is poorly suited to address key concerns arising from high oil prices and the rollout of AI.

With the Middle East gripped in an acute crisis, it’s worth examining how prior military conflicts and significant geopolitical events impacted the U.S. stock market—and what history suggests for investors today.

Oil prices threaten $100+ per barrel while S&P 500 valuations face mounting pressure. RBC Capital Markets examines conflict duration scenarios, energy market disruptions, and equity implications.

While valuations remain a headwind, U.S. equity markets remain above key technical support levels with potential for another round of sector rotation developing heading into Q2.

After a year of uncertainty, tariff rates have stabilized at lower levels than feared—and become a significant U.S. government revenue source. We assess the tariff landscape ahead of the Supreme Court’s important ruling.

The euro area defied expectations in 2025, delivering growth amid a challenging environment. Yet beneath this resilience, Europe has started to redraw its economic and strategic maps.

President Donald Trump’s campaign to get rid of Fed Chair Jerome Powell culminated in the most likely outcome—simply nominating a replacement. With Kevin Warsh on track to be the next chair, we look at the potential economic and market impacts.

AI investment has more runway ahead, in our view. A shift toward monetization, return on investment, and enterprise applications strengthens the case for diversifying beyond Big Tech to capture broader opportunities.

Global and domestic headlines have put the focus squarely on U.S. sovereign assets. We look at what steps investors should take in this time of shifting economic messages.