Before you start planning a new vacation or purchasing a new toy with this year’s tax refund, it’s wise to consider investing it, with the world markets down year to date. When markets are down, it’s a great time to maximize your refund and set yourself up for the future by averaging into your investments. We recommend you consider three alternative options to utilize your tax refund before planning that trip to Mexico.

Q1 2022 Review & Outlook

During 2020 and 2021, technology companies benefited greatly from the COVID lockdowns as more people stayed or worked from home. Consumption of anything digital went through the roof, with technology companies reporting blockbuster earnings and surging stock prices. However, 2022 is a new environment.

There are several uncertainties on the investment horizon. These concerns are building a significant wall of worry for investors, leaving them wondering whether these factors will be strong enough to cause a recession. More importantly, investors are left pondering what they should be doing within their portfolios. Let’s start by addressing the concerns to help investors filter the noise and focus on what matters.

Investment markets have been volatile in the first quarter of 2022. Rising interest rates, rising inflation and the Russia-Ukraine geopolitical uncertainty have been weighing on markets.

Why does Matco believe that Vietnam is Asia’s next rising dragon? Vietnam today has many similar features to China 20 years ago. Namely, the young educated population, strong work ethic, growing middle class, lower labour costs, substantial foreign direct investment, and a pro-growth government.