Investing in the final stretch of 2026 is a crucial period during which investors must closely review and strategically adjust their portfolios. While long-term value investing remains a sustainable path to success, for new investors or those awaiting opportunities for years, understanding short- and medium-term pressures to manage funds in the right direction becomes unavoidable.
At MONEY FEST 2026: The Money Game Level Up Your Life!, the most comprehensive investment festival of the year organized by Thairath Money, covering stocks, funds, real estate, gold, digital assets, FinTech, and future investments all in one event.
In the second session, titled “Investment Perspectives and Trends,” experts from Bangkok Bank Chief Investment Office (Bangkok Bank CIO) shared insights and analyzed upcoming investment trends, seeking opportunities amid volatility to prepare portfolios for both the "risks" and "opportunities" ahead.
Pirivat Theeradusitsilp, VP, Wealth & Private Bank, Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited. He identified three main global economic factors driving the market that require careful strategic responses.
The first factor is geopolitical conflict and oil prices. Although the global political uncertainty index shows a decline from peak levels, indicating that tensions have eased from their most severe phase, oil prices have moved counterintuitively, reaching a watch zone near $100 per barrel. It is assessed that if oil prices surge beyond $120 per barrel, it would become a severe risk pressuring the global economy and pushing inflation higher again. Currently, however, prices remain at a manageable level.
The next factor is the driving force of AI technology, which is fundamentally transforming the global economic structure. In 2022, the world faced high inflation, with US inflation peaking at 9% and Thailand’s at 7%, prompting central banks to accelerate interest rate hikes.
However, the late 2022 launch of ChatGPT marked a pivotal turning point, triggering massive investments in AI technology. In 2026 alone, the AI investment value of the Magnificent 7 (the seven leading tech stocks) exceeds Thailand’s entire GDP.
Additionally, improved global economic momentum has led to upward revisions in earnings forecasts for publicly listed companies worldwide, spreading from upstream semiconductor producers to businesses adopting AI to boost efficiency and profits.
The final factor is political uncertainty in the US due to the midterm elections on 3 November, a critical turning point. Currently, President Donald Trump's approval rating stands at about 33%, the third lowest historically. Statistics indicate a high risk that the ruling party could lose seats in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Although a recent proposal to distribute $5,000 per person aims to gain votes, legal doubts remain about its feasibility. Should the ruling party lose both chambers, passing economic stimulus policies and new budgets would become more difficult, with a risk of unprecedented impeachment. Nevertheless, despite political risks, the US stock market structure remains robust, having consistently weathered crises over the past decade.
. Cholthee Pornrojankul, SVP, Wealth & Private Bank, Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited. He expanded on these points and offered solutions to address the situation, stating that despite the market being full of pressures and volatility, opportunities for returns persist if investors adjust strategies promptly. He provided an in-depth perspective through four investment themes for the year’s final quarter as follows.
Bangkok Bank maintains a positive outlook that the global economy can continue to grow, emphasizing the importance of asset allocation and recommending four main investment themes as follows.
1. Foreign equities. Specifically, the US market is favored over Thai stocks due to clearer profit growth trends, with US equities remaining the primary focus given their leadership in technology and AI.
2. Global bonds. It is advised to increase exposure to foreign bonds as current interest rate levels are attractive. Although rates are expected to rise, this is seen as a rebalancing rather than a major upcycle. Emphasis should be on medium-term bonds with average maturities of about 3-5 years to reduce risks from bond yield volatility.
3. Businesses benefiting from the AI ecosystem. Invest in the entire AI supply chain, including communication, materials such as copper, and industrial sectors, expected to grow continuously for at least another 1-2 years.
4. Diversification into alternative assets. To mitigate impact during volatile markets, besides holding gold and the US dollar—which typically strengthen when oil prices rise—investing in off-market assets and high-dividend Thai stocks, which have a high proportion of energy sector shares, can help stabilize and balance the investment portfolio effectively.
For investors unable to follow news or adjust portfolios themselves, Bangkok Bank offers investment approaches through Portfolio Models across five risk levels—from low to highest risk—with equity proportions reaching 80-90%.
These portfolios are professionally managed via the B-WEALTH Series funds, investing globally across diverse asset classes, including Fund of Funds, alternative assets, and allocating up to 60% through ETFs, which reduces fees and allows investors to invest long-term with confidence, minimizing impulsive reactions and panic during market fluctuations.
Historical global stock market returns over more than 20 years clearly show that despite multiple crises along the way, markets have consistently recovered and delivered sustained growth in the long term.
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