Trustnet Magazine 54 September 2019 | Page 22

Your portfolio 22 / 23 [ PROTECTION ] Cherry Reynard finds out whether traditional strategies for protecting against volatility will be of any use in the current environment The old guard A fter a lengthy period of low volatility, investors have found themselves in a different environment over the past 12 months. As the global economy slows, lower returns and higher volatility may be the new reality. How should investors react? Not just for corrections Any kind of volatility “insurance” needs to balance cost and efficacy. Buying insurance after the event is pointless, while trying to time bouts of volatility is nearly impossible. As such, volatility protection needs to be held through the cycle. The first line of defence is usually cash. James Calder, research director FE TRUSTNET trustnet.com