Although the FTSE fell below 6,000 on 22 September, the falls need to be looked at in context of the overall picture, however. For instance, the FTSE 100 Index had broken its all-time high earlier this year. Professional investors arenât filled with panic at the moment, regardless of the situation the media is portraying. Most of them are viewing this as a âmarket correctionâ â just bringing things that have got a little inflated back down to earth.
Recently the Chinese government has attempted to stimulate the economy by devaluing its currency and suspending trading on many stocks. All this has done is to spook markets, both in China and globally, with significant falls in global stock markets, including the S&P in the US and the FTSE. How negatively? Well, on 24 August, the day many in the media are calling âBlack Mondayâ, the Chinese market was down by 8%, UK markets fell by over 4.5% and the US by over 3.5%*.
Standard Life Investmentâs Head of Global Equities, Mikael Zhavrev, has also called this, âa buying opportunity, not a market inflection.â In other words, this reduction in the value of some investments is an opportunity to pick up a bargain and benefit when the value rises again.
So what should you do?
According to the Standard Life article, that depends on your investments. If youâve picked a âhands offâ investment where someone is making all the decisions for you, then you should be fine. Just make sure they can invest in lots of different types of investments across different countries, ensuring that you are well-diversified.
If, however, youâve selected your own funds or investments, youâll probably want to make sure your choices still meet your needs. Again, revisit your original investment rationale. Why did you pick the various countries or asset classes in the first place? Are you invested in a diversified portfolio, or did you deliberately take a riskier single asset class or geographical approach? You might want to get some commentary from fund managers who are significant in the markets you invest in, and balance those against the outlooks of fund managers who manage significant multi-asset funds.
If you do decide to make changes to your investments, make sure theyâre for the right reasons. Donât react out of panic. And, if possible, take a long-term view! Always consider consulting an independent financial adviser when making any sort of decision regarding your future and the financial investments that are there to prepare you for it.
Sources: www.standardlife.co.uk (News/Blog â 2015/09/22)