What's the outlook? Looking ahead, Macquarie said it is staying cautious and taking a conservative approach to capital, funding and liquidity while global economic conditions remain rife with uncertainty. Nevertheless, the company's CEO was still relatively confident in her outlook for the future of the business. "Macquarie remains well-positioned to deliver superior performance in the medium term," Shemara said. "This is due to our deep expertise in major markets; strength in business and geographic diversity and ability to adapt the portfolio mix to changing market conditions; an ongoing program to identify cost-saving initiatives and efficiency; a strong and conservative balance sheet; and a proven risk management framework and culture." Macquarie shares traded green for most of the morning but dipped after midday and have remained subdued ever since. At 3:21 pm AEST, MQG shares are down 0.91 per cent to $157.56 each.