Match your investment horizon with your UITF investment

If only Unit Investment Trust Fund (UITF) investors matched their investment horizon with the UITFs they got into, the decline in UITF prices during the summer of 2006 would not have been that bad.

This is according to the Trust Officers Association of the Philippines (TOAP) who believes increasing interest rates was not the only factor that pulled down the net asset value per unit (NAVPU) of UITFs early this year. The panic selling of investors who were frightened by the falling prices also contributed to the UITF shakedown, the TOAP explains.

In an article in the www.uitf.com.ph site, the TOAP explains that:

someone who has short-term constraints should only consider funds invested in short-dated assets, such as Money Market Funds, to minimize, if not altogether avoid, experiencing the kind of volatility commonly associated with longer-dated instruments.

On the same note, one who has the financial capability to leave investments untouched for a long period of time can enjoy the luxury of investing in higher-yeld, longer-term investment products.

An investor whose funding needs coincide with a longer-term perspective has the luxury to opt for UITFs that maintain long durations and thereby enjoy the possibility of reaping bigger rewards as a trade-off for the risk he should be prepared to take relative to such a stance.

A useful analogy is related to the use of loans. It would be disastrous to take a 6-month loan if the loaned funds would be used in a business or investment that returns a profit only after 12 months. Similarly, there are associated opportunity costs when funds that can be left untouched for five years are invested in a financial product that matures every 3 months.

The moral of the story: Match your investment horizon with the investment product you want to invest in. In layman's terms: If you need money in the short-term, invest only in short-term funds. If you won't be needing it in the long-term, put it in long-term funds.

About the Author

PSEi support seen at 6,200 and 6,000 amid weaker Peso

In a not-so-surprising move, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) yesterday raised interest rates by 75 basis points (bps) or 0.75% in a bid to tame rising inflation in the United States. This was the third consecutive 0.75% rate hike by the Fed, which brings the federal funds rate, the central bank’s benchmark interest rate, to ... Read more

Official SWIFT Code of BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Philippine banks

When sending cash remittances or wire transfer to a bank account in the Philippines (such as BDO, BPI, Metrobank, Landbank, DBP, etc.), you’ll surely need the SWIFT Code of the bank. Look no further because you can find all the SWIFT Codes you need in this list! Make sure you’re using the right bank code ... Read more
blank

How to Waive your Credit Card Annual Fee (BDO, BPI, Metrobank, RCBC, Citibank, UnionBank)

Without a doubt, one of the most annoying fees that credit cardholders have to pay is the annual fee. Majority of cardholders are familiar with this fee and majority of us likely pay this grudgingly year after year after year. In the case of my credit card with BPI (Bank of the Philippine Islands), I’m ... Read more
blank

Why Filipinos do not become business owners or entrepreneurs

For a majority of Filipinos, entrepreneurship does not seem to be a typical, expected path. This is not surprising, considering that in school, students are primarily taught to become employees after graduation. Students train for years to become staff workers, reporting to a supervisor, and just waiting to receive their wages or salaries every month. ... Read more
blank

My experience investing in Mutual Funds in the Philippines

I started investing in mutual funds when I was 22 years old. As an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) then, I was fortunate to be able to save some money at that young age because of my work abroad. One time while I was on vacation in the Philippines, I saw a large billboard in EDSA ... Read more
blank

Income Tax Tables in the Philippines (2022)

The Philippines’ new tax reform bill, known as TRAIN or Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, was signed into law on December 19, 2017 and its implementation began on January 1, 2018. What are the new income tax rates under the TRAIN law? How will TRAIN affect income taxes of individuals and corporations? How is the ... Read more
blank

PSE Stocks Performance under each Philippine President (1987-2021)

Did you know that Philippine stocks were able to achieve an astounding growth of 800% in a span of 30 years? From 1987 until 2018, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rose from 1,000 points to a peak of 9,000 points — generating a return of 800% over 30 years. (The PSEi is an index ... Read more
blank

SSL 2022: Salary Increases for Teachers, Nurses, Gov’t Employees

Good news to all government employees! There’s a new round of salary increases beginning January 1, 2022! Millions of employees of the Philippine government — including public school teachers, nurses and staff of government hospitals, and workers in local and national government agencies, etc. — will be getting an automatic salary adjustment this 2022 under ... Read more
blank

PSE Trading Hours in 2022: What time open, when closed?

Before you take the plunge into stock trading and investing, make sure you understand what stocks are and how the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) operates. Unlike other investments that are relatively safe, stock trading is risky and loss of money is a possibility. So before you deep dive into the exciting world of stock trading, ... Read more

Price Floor and Price Ceiling of PSE Stocks

Trading bands in the PSE come in two forms: Price Ceiling, or the upper price limit, and Price Floor, or the lower price limit.

Leave a Comment