Four signals driving Covid-19 investment strategies

Evolving response

Following the escalation of Covid-19 and the seismic shifts across markets, we have witnessed a turning point in investment strategies as money managers move from a phase of crisis management toward more active strategies. Whether it is doubling down on companies with the strongest balance sheets or looking for beta in the anticipated market recovery, we see four key issues that will be critical in shaping the scope and timing of any such strategy.

Evolving investment response In the immediate fallout from the crisis, a number of common steps were taken by nearly all investors. These included active de-risking in the first week of the drawdown, which was fuelled by the need to raise cash and reduce net/gross exposure. More broadly in the market, we initially saw selling programme trades from index and ETFs to accommodate redemptions, however, the trend has reversed somewhat. From an active fund manager perspective, much of the activity was initially on running through existing holdings for balance sheet stress, liquidity risks or...