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Despite the record-breaking highs achieved by US stock markets, 2018 is ending with virtually all those gains wiped out. And it’s not just the United States that has suffered. Germany’s DAX, the United Kingdom’s FTSE 100 and Japan’s Nikkei 225 are all ending the year firmly in the red.

Emerging markets are already looking forward to 2019, glad to see 2018 nearly behind them. It turned out not to be a good year for emerging markets as a whole, after being on top of the world in 2017. Factors beyond their control—such as the monetary-tightening regime in the United States and high-flying dollar, trade wars and market corrections in developed economies—are largely to blame, but recognizing this will not erase the pain.

The last 18 months or so have seen initial coin offerings (ICOs) play a hugely disruptive role in the world of start-up financing. Companies the world over have managed to raise hundreds of millions of dollars—if not billions—to fund their blockchain-based development plans

The buy side of the investment world is constantly looking for new methods to generate alpha, the metric that represents the active return on an investment versus the performance of a broader market index or benchmark.

When looking at the performance of major markets such as US equities and oil, 2018 has so far provided much for bulls to cheer. But one market that has clearly underperformed year-to-date is gold.

The name of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 describes its purpose: slashing the US corporate tax rate from 35 to 21 percent would result in executives investing the resultant savings into growing their companies, increasing productivity, creating jobs, equalizing wage inequalities. If only the executives were on the same page. Instead, many are funnelling the lion’s share of the windfall into share buybacks, benefiting their investors.

Secondary stock markets and cryptocurrency markets share a few things in common. First off, they have both been panned by critics. But more importantly, they have slowly gained acceptance as vehicles to provide funds to pre-IPO growth firms, some of which are now worth millions, and create liquidity pools for investors. Will crypto markets follow the trail blazed by the once denounced secondary stock markets into widespread acceptance?

The last few months have seen investors showing more interest in the cannabis industry. As they become more at ease with investing in the once-controversial product, and as authorities around the world continue to relax the rules surrounding its legalization

Cobalt, that versatile ferromagnetic metal, has experienced its own evolution; no longer used just to provide blue colour for glass and ceramics, it is today highly valued as a necessary ingredient for making those prized electric-car and smartphone batteries tick. Cobalt has seen its price rise and fall over recent years, but the current trend is in an upward direction as demand outpaces supply.

Investing has become more complicated over the last few years, and investment managers are stepping up to the plate. It’s not all about the money any more but also about the climate, human rights and diversity. ESG investing is consuming an ever larger share of the investment marketplace as today’s investors grapple with environmental, social and corporate-governance considerations alongside their goals of maximizing monetary returns.