Cesar Ruiz, chief investment officer at Pictet, sees both pitfalls and opportunities in 2025. Many economists worry about inflation from the tariffs pushed by the Trump administration, but Ruiz is confident about market growth. He believes the US idiosyncrasies will remain strong in the first half and the US stock market will grow enough to allow investors to record solid gains. Ruiz compared new Treasury secretary Ben Bescent to Ben Bernanke, the former Federal Reserve chairperson who served during the global financial crisis. Bernanke "is the best person to take on this role at the right time. So is Bescent." Ruiz expects a large consolidation of mid-sized US financial companies, so now is a good time to buy shares in potential acquirers. As Trump cuts regulations, mergers and acquisitions will surge at the same time as IPOs, and investment banks or deal targets will provide good opportunities. (Jin Ten)