Higher productivity has propelled the U.S. economy ahead of its major peers in recent years, offering a blueprint for other countries and raising the stakes in the global race to harness emergent technologies such as GenAI.

At first glance, biodiversity may seem like an out-of-place topic when it comes to investing. In recent years, however, it has become clear that biodiversity and nature loss pose potential systemic risks to society, business and the economy.

We pinpoint five reasons why U.S. equities capped off a banner year in 2024 and why investors were willing to pay for premium valuations. We also offer thoughts on the environment in 2025 and how to approach portfolio positioning.