For many investors, uncertainty is unsettling. Market volatility, geopolitical tension, recession talk, and alarming headlines can trigger a natural instinct to pull back and wait for “things to calm down”. But history and personal experience suggests that periods of disruption often tell a more nuanced story.

Over the years, I have personally witnessed that a financial institution with disciplined, long-term strategies can experience some of their strongest results during times of crisis. Not because they welcomed chaos, but because they understood how markets behave when fear takes over.

During periods of stress, emotions often take precedence over analysis. Investors sell not because the long-term value of assets has disappeared, but because uncertainty feels intolerable. When this happens, high-quality assets can become undervalued- sometimes significantly so.

Warren Buffett’s well-known advice to be “fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful” aptly captures this dynamic. In moments when headlines are most unsettling, markets often present opportunities that simply don’t exist during periods of calm.

Today’s global environment is filled with concerns: fears about US political and economic stability, geopolitical posturing in Latin America, and growing speculation about an economic slowdown or recession. These narratives understandably make many investors hesitant.

Yet hesitation itself can be costly.

Market downturns have historically been the moments when long-term value investors quietly position themselves for the next cycle. Assets purchased during periods of distress often benefit when sentiment improves and prices revert closer to fundamental value.

This is not about trying to predict the bottom of the market or taking reckless risks. Strategic investing during downturns requires patience, diversification, and a clear understanding of one’s objectives. It also requires liquidity, so that decisions are made from a position of strength, not pressure.

Investors who navigate crises successfully tend to share common principles:

• They focus on fundamentals rather than headlines.

• They think in years, not weeks.

• They avoid overconcentration.

• They view volatility as a feature of markets, not a flaw.

The challenge for investors is not avoiding uncertainty altogether, but learning how to respond to it thoughtfully. Periods of disruption tend to reward preparation, patience, and perspective. Long after the fear subsides and the headlines move on, it is often the decisions made in uncertain moments that shape lasting financial outcomes.

Toni-Ann Neita-Elliott, CFP is the vice-president, sales & marketing at Sterling Asset Management. Sterling provides financial advice and instruments in US dollars and other hard currencies to the corporate, individual and institutional investor. Visit our website at www.sterling.com.jm

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