US-Iran tensions

President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday, said, “I have my suspicions” about why the plane went down but said he didn’t say what those suspicions are.

The US has reignited geopolitical tensions with Iran, even as the trade war with China goes on. While there are signs of a broader global economic recovery, central banks have little room to manoeuvre if growth stalls again.

There is something special about America’s bloodlust against Iran. It is a 40-year-old obsession that has now brought the United States and Iran to the brink of war.

From a fragile US-China trade truce to volatile relations in the Middle East, investors have seen an uneasy start to 2020.

As at 1.11pm on Wednesday, all but three of the 30 STI constituent stocks trading lower.

“Uncertainty” looks to be the key word in 2020. But Natixis IM Solutions' Esty Dwek offers some answers.