The Two Johns

Welcome to The Two Johns, the investment trust podcast brought to you by the website www.johnbaronportfolios.co.uk. Each month, John Baron joins former Investors' Chronicle editor John Hughman to discuss the big themes dominating the investment landscape and the important issues affecting the sector, while explaining how these are influencing the way the website's ten live investment trust portfolios are being managed. In episode 19, they explore whether investors are entering a fundamentally more volatile and inflationary era, shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, shifting global power dynamics and the erosion of the post-war rules-based order. Drawing onJohn Baron’s latest monthly investment commentary, they discuss why resilience through diversification is central to portfolio construction, arguing that structurally higher inflation - driven by deglobalisation, ageing populations, government spending, energy transition costs and geopolitical tensions -requires a rethink regarding traditional investing, including the classic 60/40 portfolio.