Following the recent falls in the equity markets many investors would have been tempted to abandon their investments and go to cash. Some will have done this and some will have held on.

It is those who have held on who will have been rewarded. Against the backdrop of what is still a very uncertain landscape there has been a fragile recovery in the markets.

In the last few weeks we have seen a stark contrast between upward movements in global stock markets and the bleak economic outlook for the global economy.

So what is the reason for this apparent dis-connect?

I believe the reason for this is that governments and central banks around the world are doing everything they can to support and re-start the economy. They are jumping in to keep their economies afloat.

Markets are forward looking meaning current prices reflect expectations for future economic and health developments and the potential impact these may have for the thousands of companies which make up the global market.

Against this backdrop nobody knows whether stock markets will sustain the fragile recovery or fall back again. It is reasonable to assume that market volatility will remain over the coming months as information coming through continues to evolve and the picture as to how our lives will be affected changes. Market prices are likely to reflect this constant change.

So we are definitely not through the turbulence yet!

Markets are uncertain and unpredictable, in fact the only certainty is their uncertainty! However, history shows that those who avoid making wealth damaging decisions by trying to time the markets and instead stay invested for the long term, and accept there will be good times and bad, will experience a much more successful and less stressful investment journey.

Very few investors succeed in timing the markets i.e. buying at the bottom and selling at the top. Nobody can predict what is going to happen and it is best to accept there will be turbulence along the way and take advantage of the diversification benefits of investing in a global portfolio covering multiple assets classes with no bias to a specific industry or segment.

Getting the risk/reward dilemma in sync with an investment strategy that is appropriately diversified and aligned to a workable plan is as important as ever.