What's the market outlook amidst Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak?

Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans, but is also zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has now recognized the infectious outbreak as pandemic.


Statistics as of March 13, 2020.
Sources: www.doh.gov.ph, Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at the John Hopkins University. CSSE at the John Hopkins University.

HOWEVER...

It is important to note that different governments are considering and implementing different precautionary measures to help reduce the economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 outbreak.

  • Equity markets will continue to be very volatile in the near term given the uncertainty surrounding impact on global supply chain. Dampened business confidence and corporate earnings will affect timing of recovery.
  • Markets are expecting interest rates to be cut significantly.

Don't panic! Think long-term.
Hold on to your investments as markets generally recover and continue to grow. Events like epidemics, financial crises, and the like, can be overcome as time passes by.

Please revisit your objective at the time of availing the unit-linked policy, which we believe is a medium-to long-term commitment.

Hang on tight and stay on the course. The current market condition is deemed to be temporary and will most likely recover.
Market downturn may become an investment opportunity. You can purchase more units with your regular premiums.

Putting monetary investments aside, always remember that health is an investment too!

It is important to be informed and be updated with the developments in COVID- 19 cases at all times. If you or anyone you know experience the following, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in, or have recently been in an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19, seek medical advice.

  • Fever
  • Dry cough
  • Shortness of breath

For more information, you may call the Department of Health (DOH) hotline at (02) 8-651-7800 loc 1149-1150, or visit their official website and Social Media pages at:

www.doh.gov.ph
www.facebook.com/OfficialDOHGov/
www.twitter.com/doh_Philippines/