Gary Harvey
CEO
Wealth Management Asia, ipac

THE financial crisis was all-encompassing and affected every market worldwide. Stocks and hard assets collapsed and at its worst, equity markets in Asia fell over 60 per cent. However, those who remained invested over this time have seen asset values recover from the lows of the early 2009. Furthermore, the Asia-Pacific rebounded quickly and is leading the world out of the global financial crisis.

The region's economy was heavily reliant on export-related activity and since the financial crisis, Asia has turned to investment and domestic consumption, spending on infrastructure and focus on potential growth areas.

In my view, despite huge uncertainties, investors should still embrace risk and take a long-term view. As the global and Asian economies continue to recover, investors will continue to take advantage of opportunities in the markets.

With an eye on the potential setbacks that could take us by surprise, the best strategy one can adopt now is for investors to invest prudently with a long-term plan in mind but to expect ups and downs along the way.