Navigating the COVID crisis

Guest: Chris Rands, Portfolio Manager, Nikko Asset Management

One of the biggest questions on many investors’ minds in recent weeks has been, just how bad will the economic contraction be? But Chris Rands, Portfolio Manager for the Nikko Australian Bond Fund, says this isn’t the question to focus on. Instead, the focus should be on how long the downturn will last.

“It’s going to be weak. We all know it’s going to be weak. You take a quick walk around outside and you’ll see that absolutely nothing is open. If it’s down 5, 10, 15 percent, nothing would really shock me. It’s more important to say, “how long is it going to last?””

In this episode of The Rules of Investing podcast, Chris speaks to us about the stability of Australia’s financial institutions, when he first realised that COVID-19 presented a material risk to markets, and how the crisis has affected his view on Australian housing.