
The News
The top investment picks for 2025 mirror a familiar theme from 2024: buy US stocks and gold.
That’s according to Manpreet Singh Gill, Standard Chartered’s chief investment officer for Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, who said that American stocks were poised for high earnings growth this year.

While valuations are above historical averages, they still have room to expand, Gill said in a briefing in Dubai. As for the Gulf, Standard Chartered sees the region’s focus on economic transformation as a key factor shielding it “from many global economic challenges,” helping boost private-sector growth.
But regional stock markets remain closely tied to oil prices, Gill said, reducing their appeal. The bank expects oil prices to average $65 to $70 per barrel in 2025 — West Texas Intermediate traded at $77 per barrel on Monday.