Concerns about global growth and the spread of the Ebola virus has seen many investors pull out of equities and into the safe government bonds of the UK, US and Germany this week.
The FTSE 100 fell to a 15 month low of just 6,082 on Thursday, from a high of 6,400 on Tuesday. The blue chip index peaked at 6,878 last month. Today’s levels are significantly lower than the 7,000 mark the index was widely expected to hit by the end of this year.
Stock markets in Europe, Asia and the US have all experienced a rollercoaster week thanks to macro uncertainty. Last week the International Monetary Fund downgraded its forecasts for global growth, citing weakness in Japan and Brazil and the Eurozone.
Earlier this week Head of Fixed Income for Franklin David Zahn said he expected the European Central Bank’s measures to boost growth will not be effective without further stimulus.
“I really do think that we are moving closer and closer to outright quantitative easing probably next year,” he said.
China also suffered a blow this week as inflation eased to a near five-year low, adding weight to the concerns about an economic slowdown in the region.
TRANSCRIPT
Emma Wall: Hello, and welcome to the Morningstar series 'Market Reaction.' I am Emma Wall and here with me today to talk about the FTSE falls is Dan Kemp, Morningstar's Head of Investment Consulting.
Hello, Dan.
Dan Kemp: Hello.
Wall: So, what exactly has happened to the FTSE this week?
Kemp: This week has been appalling if you have been an investor. But the important thing is, don't panic. These corrections happen very frequently. It's a surprise to the market at the moment because we haven't had one for a while. It probably means it's quite healthy. So, the last thing that people should panic.
Wall: And is this technically a correction, because what does a correction mean?
Kemp: Well, normally people say a 10% movement, but in reality that's a very arbitrary number. Is it not a correction at 9.9%, it is at 10.2%, it really just means a large move in an upward trend. So, the question that the investors need to be asking is, is this the start of a new bear market? Are prices going to be predominantly going south from here? Or is it just a bump in the road?
Wall: Because there has been some scare among the media, there have been talks of this is the beginning of another financial crisis, not just for the FTSE but because there are repercussions across to other markets as well. Is this the case?
Kemp: Nobody can make perfect predictions, but remember that headlines about a new financial crisis are much more attractive really material than people just say, no, it's just a movement in prices. Certainly, we are looking at this as an opportunity to look at markets and funds and stocks that we liked a few weeks ago and we like even more now because they are cheaper.
Wall: So, it's not just about bottom feeding then? You shouldn't go out and just buy everything that's cheap?
Kemp: Don't buy everything that's cheap. It's also an opportunity to sell things where prices have been pushed up which didn't look attractive. But it is a time of opportunity. You need to be selective. You need to be – make sure you're not pushed around by the herd, but certainly people should be out there looking for these opportunities.
Wall: Dan, thank you very much.
Kemp: My pleasure.
Wall: This is Emma Wall for Morningstar. Thank you for watching.