Saving Matters

As we enter the sixth week of lockdown, many of us may have adapted to this new normal, but there can be no doubt it has been an extremely difficult time for families and businesses struggling with the unprecedented circumstances. 

How has investment management ensured operational resilience during this crisis?

IA Director, Pauline Hawkes-Bunyan takes a look at this issue in our new blog post.

Technology is crucial to organisational growth and competitiveness. Even before the current COVID-19 crisis investment managers had widely forecast 2020 as the year where the industry will invest even more heavily in technology.

COVID-19 is testing corporate Britain in a way not seen since the Second World War. Its effects are going beyond even the global financial crisis, with this being a health crisis first and an economic one second.

Markets are important. They are the mechanism through which shares in companies are bought and sold, and they give businesses access to cash. Markets are critical in price formation, liquidity transformation and allowing firms to service the needs of their clients.

The effects of Coronavirus are far reaching across many aspects of our day-to-day lives, and of course bringing heavy market turbulence.

Investing involves risk. The value of your investment can rise and fall. Your capital is at risk. These warnings come on every piece of advice around investing that you can find. They are the mantra of every investment professional helping you manage your money. As investors, we know we are making a conscious decision to take a degree of risk with our savings, in hopes of better returns down the line.

The IA’s latest fund statistics for December 2019 reveal that UK investors were starting to feel more love for UK equities, buoyed by the significant Conservative party majority following the general election and Boris Johnson’s clear message on exiting the EU.

As negotiators convene to hammer out a trading relationship between Britain and the EU, the next 10 or 11 months will prove crucial in securing a deal. Financial services will need to feature heavily in these discussions. With three quarters of UK household relying on the investment management industry to provide for their future, it is crucial that this deal meets the needs of these millions of savers, including pensioners across the country.

2019 has seen the climate crisis top the global agenda, with images of Greta Thunberg at the United Nations, plastic-clogged oceans and extreme weather capturing the public attention. Closer to home, we’ve seen Extinction Rebellion target the City and the issue for the first time being a focus for all political parties in the run up to the general election.