Imagine the world as a snowglobe-style paperweight. Donald Trump seems to perceive it as such, fond of turning it upside down with a shake. In a world filled with random events, his rapid-fire pronouncements can cause price flutters — volatility — across all asset markets. Certainly, his latest pronouncements on trade tariffs with Canada, Mexico and China have roiled markets.
Volatility can signal investor fear but also offer an opportunity to clear minded buyers. Among professional portfolio managers, views vary on what action to take to protect their clients’ funds. Some will have a proactive hedging policy, others will prefer to remain fully invested lest they mistime any asset sales.
What about the average investor? Protecting one’s liquid holdings can involve something as simple as holding more cash, or a more complicated hedging strategy involving derivatives such as options and futures. Then again, one could embrace pure risk and look for ways to profit from any bursts of market volatility.