Investors must adapt to a more tribal, less rational world
Oliver Hartwich | The New Zealand Initiative | 28 January 2026
Until recently, investors operated in a stable world order, constructed over centuries and founded on the ideas of Renaissance and Enlightenment thinkers. Today, that global rules-based order is cracking, resulting in an increasingly complex and uncertain macro backdrop. Investors face a more tribal, less rational world, in which powerful countries more aggressively pursue their goals, and in which societies struggle to manage political polarisation. It’s a whole new world (again)! To prosper, practitioners will need to consider information from a broader array...