Our earliest childhood memories of learning are usually triggered by seeing the kinds of colourful ‘starter’ books we give to our own children. Our parents pointed to the oversized letters and numbers then spelled them out so we could begin to understand.

Eventually we learned the great benefits of knowing how to express ourselves clearly - while harnessing the power of calculating numbers in pursuit of financial fitness and personal happiness.

This short essay is about a particularly important calculation.

Firstly, and most importantly, the wellbeing of all is foremost in our minds and we sincerely hope for a quick resolution to the awful crisis that is engulfing the world, and a reversion to normality without too much more hardship or suffering.

Stock markets are always the first and most obvious financial indicator when things go awry.   When uncertainty leads to pessimism, (and ultimately fear), market pricing dislocates, as it has in the last month.  This dislocation is amplified by the very mechanics of markets, where computer systems, short selling and algorithms drive volatility indiscriminately.  This period of significant volatility should be relatively short lived, but significant uncertainties remain, such that we expect further bouts of sharp price movements in the coming months.

Numerous factors differentiate the firm of Joseph Palmer & Sons from its competitors; three in particular form the pillars upon which its reputation largely rests: history, experience and foresight. Palmer’s history goes back to 1872 and no other investment firm operating in Australia today has such an unbroken family connection. Insights gained from such a durable innings are of inestimable value to the firm’s clients; there’s precious little by way of an investment issue that hasn’t been encountered, one way or another, over many years.