From the closing of shops to factories and companies being shut down, 2020 has been difficult for all of us. But it’s been specifically challenging for the business sector. With a complete lockdown, there was an extended period with no scope for anyone to grow and grab upcoming opportunities. As a result, the global economy witnessed quite a massive fall.
But even today, several months after the first Coronavirus case was reported, the scientists of the world still don’t have a proper vaccine ready. Looking at the trend the virus continues to spend, some experts predict that we might go through a recession in the future, but some say, the dawn to a new era is on the horizon.
In a recent roundtable meeting conducted by Fortune Investors, there were a lot of discussions on the likelihood of business in 2021. Join us as we cover the highlights.
Read – What Does AstraZeneca Want to Say About the Vaccine?
A glimpse into the meeting
Joining the meeting were Joshua Brown (founder, and CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management), Savita Subramanian (Managing director of Bank of America Merrill Lynch), David Eiswert (head of Global Stock Fund), Sarah Ketterer (CEO at Causeway) and Mullan Yen (founder of Operator Collective).
When the panelists were asked about the risks and opportunities that investors will be facing in 2021, all of them had a different lookout and a different answer.
- Sarah Ketterer seemed positive. She pointed out that due to the pandemic, many sellers had reduced prices and enhanced their operations. As a result, they might end up increasing their margins in the future. But, a major deciding factor behind such growth would be the development of the vaccine.
- David Eiswert, on the other hand, had a slightly negative take. Stating his concerns over the development of vaccines, he expressed his fear over a decrease in interest rates. According to him, in the future, the value of global assets will go down because of the cutting interest rates, and that might change the whole economy.
- Mullan Yen shed light on how the world will lag in terms of equality. She said that the after-effects of the pandemic included more and more people being laid off, and unfortunately, a majority of them were females. She shared concerns over the fall out of labor, but didn’t forget to praise the current flexible work culture.
- Savita Subramanian talked extensively on S&P 500. She pointed out that those who were buying the stock every day had a chance of earning more profits than those who were waiting for long.
- Lastly, Joshua Brown pointed out the unawareness of people who are still not accepting that the global economy has already undergone a recession, and that it will be witnessing another one soon.
Read – How is the Trade War Between U.S & China Affecting the World?
To sum it up
The pandemic hasn’t spared anyone, and no one knows when we’ll recover from this situation. So according to the experts in this roundtable meeting, worrying about interest rates and U.S.-China tension and getting excited about non-U.S stocks and young investors is something that can get us through.
