About Frans
Frans supports the Chief Economist with the firm’s economic, financial market, and policy analysis and forecasting. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance & Economics) with Honours in Finance (First Class) from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining IFM Investors Frans was undertaking his Honours degree and was a researcher with the Brain Mind and Markets Lab at the University of Melbourne.
Read our latest insights
10 min read
Economic Update June 2026
Global markets are navigating an increasingly uneasy mix of geopolitical risk and shifting macro fundamentals. The escalation in the Middle East has reintroduced a stagflationary impulse via higher energy prices, yet risk appetite has remained resilient.
25 min read
Macro-factors revisited: an evolving approach to portfolio resilience
Building upon IFM Investors’ earlier research on macro-factor exposures across public and private markets, with a particular focus on private infrastructure, this paper aims to improve the robustness of factor modelling, incorporate new insights and learnings, and provide actionable guidance for portfolio construction under a Total Portfolio Approach.
10 min read
Economic Update March 2026
Despite increasing geopolitical uncertainty in early 2026 driven by a more interventionist US policy stance, risk appetite remains intact, though sentiment is increasingly shaped by escalating geopolitical pressures