Buy-side Perspectives Issue 7 | Page 8

THE WESTERLY WINDS REFORM FROM THE LEFT, TOWARDS THE RIGHT Kristian Karppi, Managing Director, K&K Global Consulting Ltd Similar to the Arab spring in the early 2010s, there is a democratic move towards a reform of the Western world by strong conservative, anti-establishment sentiments since 2015 and we don’t seem to have seen the end of this yet. In many instances within Europe, the sentiment highlights an increasing public discontent with the European Union for the same reasons the U.S. population voted against a further presidential rule by the Democratic party. National protectionism, retaining welfare within the countries and pro-immigration controls are on the rise. There is still divided opinion about whether to continue the establishment’s actions antagonising president Vladimir Putin and Russia. Regardless of one’s political opinion, the past and upcoming events will undoubtly have a significant impact on the geopolitical balance and the capital markets. 8 www.buysideintel.com December 2016