'Fear' Is Driving Investment Decisions

DULUTH, Ga. - The financial markets have all but abandoned the traditional measures used to determine value for investing, with fear becoming the ruling determinant for decisions, according to Sarina Freedland, AVP-Investment Services for Georgia Central Credit Union. In remarks to the corporate's members, Freedland noted that after falling 26 basis points in a single day, the two-year Treasury note hit a three-year low. That has left credit unions unsure how to react, Freedland said.

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"When yields fall, the immediate instinct is to invest longer term to provide some protection against those falling rates," said Freedland, adding that the unsettled markets require a break from traditional practice. "The more plausible trade for now is to stay short and put cash in corporate certificates, which often yield above market." Certificates under six months are yielding between 4.80 and 4.97%. (c) 2007 The Credit Union Journal and SourceMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. http://www.cujournal.com http://www.sourcemedia.com


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