Investors should ‘take a step back’ to spot opportunities for Asean amid Trump tariffs: JPMorgan

EVEN as US President Donald Trump stirs up the market with a barrage of executive orders, JPMorgan’s chief market strategist for the Asia-Pacific Tai Hui believes there is no need for investors to panic and get too “whipsawed” by his policy announcements.

“If we take a step back and look at what’s enveloping this whole discussion on tariffs, it is about the global supply chain and how the US wants to shore up its own manufacturing, or at least diversify so that it is not exposed to one particular exporter,” he said.

“The overall direction of the new administration… still offers a lot of long-term investment opportunities.”

Instead of the uncertainties, investors should focus on broader implications on the global supply chain, as well as diversification strategies, he added.

In Asean, for example, one of the positives is the emergence of countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand as alternative hubs for production.

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