Filipinos urged to invest in equities market amid lower prices

MANILA – Officials of Pru Life UK are optimistic for the success of their latest unit investment trust funds (UITF) products despite market volatility, and encouraged investors to take advantage of drop in share prices to purchase equity shares.

In an online briefing Tuesday, Pru Life UK president and chief executive officer Antonio de Rosas said there is no better time to invest in the equities market than now since prices are down due to volatilities caused partly by the global pandemic.

He said the country’s economic fundamentals remain strong and this is a plus for investors even with the negative economic impact of the pandemic.

Rosas said the country’s foreign reserves remain on record high with the end-February level at USD89 billion; public debt is only about 40 percent of domestic output, down from over 50 percent in the past; and the government’s financial strength is among the best in the world.

He added individual companies continue to report generally positive balance sheets, which provide good opportunities for anyone who wants to place funds in the stock market.

“When you look at the individual companies that we invest in, you can see the resiliency,” Rosas said.

He is optimistic the pandemic will disappear overtime thus, “with the country’s resiliency, we can get through that and we can see gradual return to normal, pre-pandemic growth.”

The company launched Tuesday the multi-class equity fund called PH Equity Index Tracker Fund, the long-term capital growth-targeted PRUInvest PHP Dynamic Equity Fund, and the US dollar-invested PRUInvest USD Intermediate Term Bond Fund.

During the same briefing, Pru Life UK Investments director Lee Longa said he remains hopeful despite the current global health crisis because “I don’t think we will not win this situation.”

Longa said the resiliency of the domestic economy will be reflected on the equities market that is why, “we are confident that once this is all over, there will be ways, ingenuity for us to survive.”

“While we are very realistic with our projection, with our business, our company is here to stay for a long term. I think we can overcome these problems today so there are opportunities (despite the pandemic,” he added.

Pru Life UK assistant vice president and head of equities Charles Wong said “volatilities create opportunities” and investors just need to know the methods to lessen the effect of volatilities.

He said equity investments are long-term goals so investors need to choose and study the companies they invest in.