Family Offices Shift Focus to Inflation Risk While Doubling Down on Equities
Inflation has overtaken tariffs as the top investment concern for family offices in 2026, even as they increase allocations to stocks and private equity.
Family offices are increasing their exposure to equities and private equity despite mounting anxiety over inflation, according to a new survey from Citi Wealth. The finding underscores a willingness among ultra-high-net-worth investors to accept market risk even as the macroeconomic backdrop grows more uncertain.
Inflation displaced tariffs as the single greatest investment concern heading into 2026, the Citi survey found — a notable shift from recent years when trade policy dominated the worry list for wealthy family investment vehicles. The change in sentiment reflects broader anxieties about persistent price pressures that have outlasted many earlier forecasts.
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Despite those concerns, family offices have not retreated to defensive positioning. Instead, the survey indicates they are doubling down on growth-oriented assets, maintaining or expanding stock holdings and committing further capital to private equity strategies where longer time horizons can potentially buffer near-term volatility.
Family offices, which manage the wealth of single ultra-affluent families, have grown into significant institutional-scale investors whose allocation decisions can signal broader trends in sophisticated capital deployment. Their continued appetite for risk assets, even amid inflation fears, may reflect confidence in the earnings power of companies or in private market valuations that are insulated from daily public-market swings.
The Citi Wealth survey offers a window into how the wealthiest investors are navigating a complex environment marked by elevated price levels, evolving trade dynamics, and uncertain central bank policy. Continue reading at US Top News and Analysis.
