Michael Murray: How to position an equity portfolio for a swing to the left

The success of politicians peddling the false promises of populism should send a shiver down investors’ spines

The S&P 500 is coming off its best day in 15 months, as buyers picked over the wreckage from Monday’s 4.1 per cent rout. Picture: Getty

You can’t always separate investment from politics. Following the British general election and the instability which it has thrown up, investors must contemplate the composition of their equity portfolios - in particular their geographical exposure by country, market and company, and the heightened risks from the populist trends that the results of the elections have brought into focus.

The trends are not unique to Britain. They are well evidenced in the rest of ...