Markets have remained choppy as investors waver between optimism about eventual recovery and renewed concerns about the final cost of the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as impending uncertainties…

The latest forecasts for the global economic outlook are pointing to gradual recovery, and growth assets have improved from their previous coronavirus losses but Investors will need to be realistic about the time it will take to get back to pre-outbreak conditions.

Although uncertainty remains high, the best view is that the New Zealand economy will recover from the September quarter onwards...

Local and international markets have marked time in recent weeks as investors wait to see how the coronavirus outbreak will develop and what its ultimate impact will be. On the plus side, with supportive economic policies that have been put in place and anti-COVID-19 measures like lockdowns and distancing, it is plausible that we are at or near the low point for the global economic cycle.

While equity markets have generally recovered from their coronavirus-affected lows in late March, the prognosis for the world economy remains uncertain...

While forecasters are typically running with a range of scenarios, most agree that their baseline or best-guess scenario is for a serious setback to world trade and gross domestic product this year, followed by a recovery next year. The shape and speed of the recovery remains very uncertain, however, with fund managers inclined to believe it may be a more gradual affair rather than a rapid return to normality.