Beyond Covid-19 – A demonstration of human resilience
We are currently under attack, not by a foreign army, nor aliens from outer space, but by a microscopic virus that has infected over 1.3 million people globally and claimed over 80,000 lives – Covid-19 has brought the global community to its knees and has significantly changed the way we live our lives. The conversations that are happening in household living rooms in our local community are happening all around the world. Who would have thought that 6 weeks ago, you wouldn’t be able to lie on the beach without the threat of receiving a $1,500 fine, or walk into a shop with no more than 2 people in it? Going out for a simple meal is now taboo and to shake someone’s hand would be outrageous. It is amazing how times have changed and how quickly it has occurred.
With so much doom and gloom around – it’s hard to see the positives – right?
It is worth noting, particularly given the origins of Covid-19, that the Chinese word for crisis consists of 2 characters. The first character signifies danger and the second character signifies opportunity. With any crisis comes opportunity, as a society we still have a level of resilience and adaption to deal and live with any situation. We have seen neighbours checking in with each other over the fence, we have seen strangers offer to do the shopping for our most vulnerable and we have seen (most) people embrace social distancing measures to ensure the spread of the virus is minimised.
From a work viewpoint, we have seen workforces mobilised through remote networks and worksites. We have seen businesses acknowledging and embracing technologies that are available at our finger tips. We are seeing people remain connected through virtual community networks such as Facetime, Zoom, House Party and Teams. As a result, employers and employees are seeing innovation, collaboration and inspiration in embracing a digital market place. Through necessity we are learning that the workplace of the future may not involve a long commute to work to sit at a desk for 8 hours.
The investment landscape is starting to represent significant value relative to the February market peak and with interest rates at historical lows (and the likelihood of this remaining the case for the foreseeable future) investors resilience will likely be rewarded and the drivers of the pre – Covid-19 market will materialise again. Investment markets have an amazing ability to sort through the noise earlier than what economic numbers may support. We firmly believe that investors who employ patience and seek professional advice will be rewarded with positive performance over time.
If you need to speak to a qualified Financial adviser, please call the team at Muirfield Financial Services on 03 5224 2700.