During February and March, we were active in both the local equity and fixed income markets. This activity reduced during April and May, as we believed the portfolios were satisfactorily positioned given current valuations. In addition, markets have perhaps moved a little ahead of fundamentals.
There is now more information available on the pandemic than there was at the beginning and it appears that we are, or will soon be, entering the exponential part of the curve. The good news is mortality rates seem to be far lower than initially feared. What has become more apparent is the significant economic costs of the lockdown and how complex an effective exit strategy will be. This is important given the weak state of the economy before the lockdown.
Duncan Artus updates investors on the economic situation, portfolio positioning and recent investment decisions, and ponders our views on a lockdown exit strategy in a 15-minute video. Watch now.