Sun Life Philippines advised investors to stay the course and remain committed to their investment goals, despite the sharp declines being experienced in the market as the world reels from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The current situation may be unnerving, especially since the extent and duration of COVID-19’s impact on the economy is still highly uncertain,” Sun Life chief investments officer Michael Enriquez said. “However, in the past global health scares, we saw global equities rally 3.08% on a three-month basis, and 8.50% on a six-month basis. This goes to show that prospects of recovery are there.”
Enriquez further explained that while Index, Equity, and Bond fund prices are low right now, there are more benefits to buying managed funds at this time because there are industries that have been affected by this crisis, but have not yet fully realized the impact.
Timing the market is likewise not advisable. “Data shows that timing the market then missing the 30 strongest days of the Philippine Stock Exchange Index would lead to loss. In fact, two of the biggest up moves for the past 10 years happened last March 25 and 26, with gains of 5.31% and 7.44% respectively,” Enriquez explained. “On the other hand, weathering the storm by staying invested would have nearly doubled one’s investment. Don’t let fear sway you from your investment plans.”
Sun Life, through its mutual funds management arm Sun Life Asset Management Company, Inc. (SLAMCI), continues to serve its investors even amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), and is among the few asset management companies that continues to process subscriptions.
According to SLAMCI president Valerie Pama, SLAMCI already had online channels available for its clients long before the ECQ was declared, thus, it was able to adjust seamlessly to the situation. “The safety and well-being of our investors come first and so we encourage everyone to utilize the online channels at this time,” she said.
Clients eager to continuously pursue their investment journey may do so via the My Sun Life client portal on www.sunlife.com or the Sun Life PH mobile app which is available on Google Play and the App Store. These channels can also accommodate redemption requests for those who wish to redeem a portion of their investments to fund immediate needs in these crucial times.
“It is in times like this that the value of saving and investing for the future comes to fore,” Pama said. “Rest assured that we at SLAMCI continue to closely manage the investments of our clients and will always make decisions with their best interests in mind. We remain committed to being their partner in pursuing their financial goals in every step of the way.”