This week, Sardoh Ramkhelawan recaps the performance of local and international stock markets as at the end of the 1st quarter of 2023 (Q12023). Despite a cautiously optimistic outlook at the start of 2023, equity markets continued to face considerable uncertainty, fueled by persistent inflation, geopolitical tensions, recessionary concerns, financial system instability and a cloudy path for policymakers. With investor sentiment challenged in the first quarter, could the outlook improve in the near-term, or will uncertainty continue to drive weakness across investment markets?