{"id":20042,"date":"2020-04-08T10:44:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T10:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smh.group\/?p=20042"},"modified":"2023-02-15T13:43:54","modified_gmt":"2023-02-15T13:43:54","slug":"quarter-of-the-unexpected-the-markets-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devstagesite.co.uk\/smhgroup\/quarter-of-the-unexpected-the-markets-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Quarter of the unexpected \u2013 the markets\u2019 story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The first quarter of 2020 was a traumatic one for investors.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

2020 started off well enough. Until the middle of February, most global\nshare markets were flatlining as the year got under way. Then the coronavirus\n(Covid-19) outbreak suddenly expanded from a localised epidemic in Wuhan into a\nglobal issue. The reaction of most major stock markets was reminiscent of a\ncertain Looney Tunes scene where Wile E Coyote races past the Road Runner only\nto find he has run off the edge of a cliff and his frantically spinning legs\nare taking him nowhere but straight down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The quarterly performance of both the UK FTSE 100 and US Dow Jones Index\nwas the worst since the final quarter of 1987 (when the UK experienced the\nGreat Storm). No major markets escaped the\nimpact of the virus, with most entering what the pundits label as bear market\nterritory \u2013 a fall of 20% or more. Ironically, one of the best performing\nmarkets was China, where the Shanghai Composite fell less than 10%.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the threat to\nglobal growth, central banks cut interest rates (where they could), returned to\nquantitative easing (QE) and promised variations on \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d, the\nfamous words of a former European Central Bank boss, Mario Draghi. Governments\nalso took action, with many introducing employment support programmes (such as\nthe UK\u2019s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme) and offering cheap finance and cash\ngrants to businesses hit by the widespread lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is wise to treat with scepticism any statements which claim to be able to predict what happens next. The form of the recovery \u2013 and there will be one at some indeterminate point \u2013 will determine how long the effects last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This uncertainty means that any changes to investment portfolios<\/a><\/span><\/strong> need to be approached with caution and only after taking expert advice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need to speak to one of our Chartered Financial Planners<\/a><\/span><\/strong> about your personal investment strategy contact us on 0114 266 4432<\/strong> or info@smhca.co.uk<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The value of your investment and the income from it can go down as well\nas up and you may not get back the full amount you invested.<\/em><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
 Past performance is not a\nreliable indicator of future performance.<\/em> <\/em> <\/em><\/h6>\n\n\n\n
Investing in shares should be regarded as a long-term investment and\nshould fit in with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances.<\/em><\/em><\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The first quarter of 2020 was a traumatic one for investors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[494,498,98,514,77,97,386],"class_list":["post-20042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-financial-services","tag-coronavirus","tag-covid19","tag-financial-advice","tag-financial-markets","tag-financial-planning","tag-investments","tag-personal-investment-strategy"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nQuarter of the unexpected \u2013 the markets\u2019 story - SMH Group<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The first quarter of 2020 was a traumatic one for investors.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Quarter of the unexpected \u2013 the markets\u2019 story - 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