MAS is monitoring the reaction of financial markets to coronavirus

The spread of coronavirus – or Covid-19 – has been the focus of media attention for several weeks. As well as the global health implications, there is increasing speculation about the impact of the virus on financial markets and, by extension, on people’s savings.

At this stage, JBWere – who manages the MAS KiwiSaver Plan and MAS Retirement Savings Plan – does not expect to change their investment strategy because of the virus. As with similar viruses in recent years, there is likely to be some short-term volatility in financial markets but the virus should have little effect on long-term returns.

As our investment managers, JBWere continually monitors financial markets, and is maintaining a close watch on the reaction of the markets to Covid-19. You can read their full report on the implications of Covid-19 for their investment strategy here.

As always, it’s important to be in the right fund for your investment risk tolerance and your investment timeframe. You can check your risk profile by using our Investment Risk Profiler. If after completing the risk profiler you wish to switch funds, you can do so by completing a Switch Form.

Markets have already moved significantly in response to Covid-19, so it’s important to take a long-term view of your investments. Before making any big changes to your choice of investment funds, we recommend you speak to your MAS adviser – there is no cost to do so.

This notice is of a general nature and is not a substitute for professional and individually tailored advice. Medical Assurance Society KiwiSaver Plan and Medical Assurance Society Retirement Savings Plan Trustees, Medical Assurance Society New Zealand Limited, JBWere (NZ) Pty Ltd and Bancorp Treasury Services Limited, their parent companies and associated entities do not guarantee the return of capital or the performance of investment funds. Returns indicated may bear no relation to future performance. The value of investments will fluctuate as the values of underlying assets rise or fall.