Monday’s spike in crude oil prices could be a game changer – for geopolitics, for the economy, and for investors.

Normally it would be foolhardy to draw big, sweeping conclusions from a single day’s trading activity.

But in this case, it’s not just the fact that oil prices surged 13% to over $62/barrel. Or even the fact that more than 5% of the world’s oil producing capacity suddenly got taken offline.

The world can cope with volatility in the energy market. An increasingly volatile environment for all assets presents much greater challenges.

But few investors are positioned to cope with the rising risk of war in the Middle East. Few are prepared for the prospect of persistently higher energy prices and higher inflation. Even fewer are taking steps to insulate their portfolios from future black swan events.

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