Underowned Markets to Watch

Ruchir Sharma, Chair of Rockefeller International and Founder and CIO of Breakout Capital, joins The Master Investor Podcast for a sweeping tour of today’s markets, the fading of “American exceptionalism” and what he thinks investors are getting wrong about risk. After 25 years at Morgan Stanley, where he ran emerging markets and served as Chief Global Strategist, Sharma now splits his time between managing money and writing bestselling books including Breakout Nations, The Rise and Fall of Nations, Democracy on the Road and What Went Wrong With Capitalism.​

In this episode, Ruchir lays out his case that the long dominance of US equities is giving way to a multi‑year period of international outperformance, driven by better earnings growth, higher shareholder payouts and a turning dollar cycle – and why he sees the US share of global indices falling back toward 50% over time from the current 65% level. The bull case for US markets are “a good story that has gone too far.”

Ruchir also digs into the Fed’s next move, arguing there is “no justification” for rate cuts with core inflation still closer to 3% and financial conditions loose, and why politically driven cuts would be structurally negative for the dollar. We discuss his evolving view on gold – from early bull to current agnostic as price action turns “parabolic” – and why he now prefers a broader toolkit of inflation hedges, from other commodities to inflation‑linked bonds.​

On countries, Ruchir contrasts India’s steady 6% growth with its volatile market cycles, China’s demographic and debt squeeze despite a softer tone from Beijing toward the private sector, and why he’s far more excited by under‑owned markets from Brazil to Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. He also unpacks the political consequences of inflation in developed markets, the rise of an anti‑incumbency bias for developed market voters, and his core thesis that capitalism has been “ruined by government” through ever‑expanding spending, regulation and bailouts.​

We finish with Ruchir’s overriding pieces of advice: in investing, temperament beats spreadsheet skill, and in life, “live in parallel” – cultivating a second vocation or passion, as he has with writing, to stay grounded when markets and careers become all‑consuming.

You can watch the full video on The Master Investor Podcast YouTube channel

And follow @WilfredFrost on X and Linked In

Sponsored by BNY Investments, Interactive Brokers - ibkr.com/masterinvestor and London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG). 

The Master Investor Podcast is produced by Paradine Productions, Master Investor Ltd in association with Bird Lime Media.

This podcast is for information purposes only. It does not constitute an invitation or inducement to engage in any investment activity. It is not a financial promotion as defined under section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (FSMA). The views expressed by the presenter of this podcast are those of the presenter and are provided in the course of journalism. This podcast benefits from the exemption under Article 20 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (FPO), It does not require approval by a person authorised under the FSMA. Generic information, not identifying any specific investment, fund, provider or service, about a class of investments such as shares, bonds, derivatives and cryptoassets, might be provided and/or discussed during this podcast. Such discussion falls within the generic promotions exemption (Article 17 of the FPO). Such discussion is not a financial promotion requiring approval by an authorised person under section 21 of the FSMA. Investing involves risk. You should consult a suitably qualified adviser who can assess your individual circumstances before making any investment decision.