Where do we go from here? It seemed that the sky was the limit for risk assets at the start of 2018. Congress had just passed a massive corporate profit boosting tax cut, and stocks were taking it up a notch to new all-time highs. Then February came, the short volatility trade was obliterated, and risk assets spent the rest of the winter and much of the spring working to regain their footing. But as we enter the summer of 2018, it appears stocks have regained their footing and all may be well once again. Yet something still doesn’t feel quite right. Where do we go from here in the summer of 2018?

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Grandpa’s stocks have been out of favor the last couple of years. But that does not mean that they should be simply cast aside for their relative underperformance. Stocks across the size and style spectrum are constantly moving in and out of favor over time. For those that own “grandpa’s stocks”, now is not the time to sell. If anything, now may be the time to buy.

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The 2018 FIFA World Cup is now underway in Russia. Over the next four weeks between now and July 15, teams from 32 countries from around the globe will compete in the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. With this event that takes place every four years now underway, it provides a good opportunity to consider some of the more specialized investment opportunities that may also exist around the world. With this in mind, we will take a more in depth look in the coming weeks at the specific countries taking part in this year’s World Cup.

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Consider overlooked market segments this summer for upside potential and downside protection.Areas of the market that have been running hot will be the first to fall hard once stocks finally peak. Relative underperforming segments, on the other hand, are more likely to hold up well once safety seeking equity investors rotate out of the momentum trade. Such neglected segments can generate positive returns well into any future bear market phase. This is particularly true if these overlooked segments offer attractive value and sustained growth potential.

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Two industry titans recent issued a call for inaction. Famed investor Warren Buffett and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon took to the opinionsection of the Wall Street Journal last week with a call for all public companies to move away from issuing quarterly earnings guidance. The reasoning is sound, as the relentless focus by corporations on hitting their quarterly numbers leads to “an unhealthy focus on short-term profits at the expense of long-term strategy, growth and sustainability”. While I wholeheartedly applaud the effort, I would encourage them to go one important step further.

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