Weather the storm

Covid-19 led us to panic-buy at the supermarket and to panic-sell on the sharemarket. As uncertainty around this global pandemic continues, Australia’s economy will remain turbulent.

Watching and acting on daily sharemarket price movements can soon become your worst enemy in uncertain times. What we do know is that expert advice always tells us to stay the course when it comes to investing, unless your financial situation and life circumstances absolutely warrant selling up.

Jonathan Shead, head of investments, Australia, at State Street Global Advisors, says one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a long-term investor is to fall into the trap of trading individual stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) daily (that is, trying to time the market).

“ETFs (like all shares) do allow you to trade in the moment. ETFs provide liquidity and are priced right throughout the trading day. That can lead to the temptation for investors to lose sight of their long-term