Investors have long been told to diversify their portfolios, but one expert is advising that a focus on North American markets might be the safest way to execute under current geopolitical conditions.  
 
“We do have to think about ‘no place like home’ and think about the North American markets as maybe one of the better opportunities out there right now,” said Mark Wiseman, chair of AIMCo and former chief executive officer of CPPIB.
 
It’s common practice for market participants to spread investments across various asset classes and geographical regions. But a change in geopolitics is pointing to North American markets as the best choice to put money to work, Wiseman told BNN Bloomberg in a Monday interview.
 
Wiseman pointed to the continued uncertainty in the Russian market and a broader change in geopolitics as the primary reasons for favouring more investments within the U.S. and Canada. 
 
“I would say for Canadian companies and Canadian investors, yes you have to go global, yes you have to diversify, but maybe this domestic North American market has got a little bit more fuel in the tank than many of us thought, particularly on a relative basis,” he said. 
 
The future success of the Canadian markets could be aided by the governments’ commitment to fostering a competitive environment, he added. 
 
“What the role of government should be is to ensure competition, ensure that private capital can flow easily and ensure that the conditions are there to allow Canadian companies to compete both at home and abroad,” he said.  
 
“We need to make sure that we’re putting our human capital and our productive capital to good use,” Wiseman said.