TEXT B There are two types of
risk related to investment. The obvious risk is that the company you invest in
will fold and you will lose everything. The other type of risk is how much the
value of your investment can ohange. Some investments swing wildly: one month
they are worth four times what you put in, the next month they are worth only
one quarter of the money you put in. If you have to take your money out at the
wrong time, you lose lots. Low-risk investments Classic low-risk
investments are government stocks and bank deposits. The institutions aren’t
likely to go out of existence. And the investments are "capital guaranteed",
meaning your balance can never drop below the amount you put in. But even
these classic low-risk investments carry the risk that interest rates will rise
and you will be stuck with your money tied up at the lower interest rates at
which you first invested. And not every fixed-interest investments is with a
rock-solid organization. Some providers may offer capital "guaranteed" products
where in fact no third party is guaranteeing the continuing financial viability
of the provider of the product. The warning is that investors must check that
the guarantee and the person or institution offering the guarantee are both good
and strong. Any guarantee is only as good as those offering it. High-risk
investments The classic high-risk investment is in shares in a
small company which is perhaps newly listed on the stock exchange. Such a small
company could quite easily collapse. On the other hand, the share price might
soar. If an investor wants to up the ante, they borrow money to
buy the shares. Through what’s known as leverage or gearing, investors hope to
make a huge return not only on their own money, but also on someone else’s. If
the company collapses, they not only lose their investment, but must also repay
their debt. Numerous studies have shown that, on average,
high-risk investors make more than low-risk ones. Over time, the stock market
rewards them for sticking their necks out, and sometimes getting them chopped
off. Even during the 1980s, the decade of the stock market crash, one study
shows that over the whole of the ten years shares outperformed lower-risk fixed
interest and property investments. This brings us to the first
basic rule relating to risk: high risk equals high return. If you want to
maximize your savings, take some risk with at least some of your
money. Keep in mind, though, the second rule relating to risk.,
diversify your investment. This is partly so you won’t be hurt too badly if one
company falls over. In short, you’re mad not to spread your money around. All
the big financial institutions do, This means dividing it among:
· different types of investments--some in shares, some in property, some
in bonds and so on; · different investments within each
group--shares in lots of different companies, several properties, a variety of
fixed--interest investments · different countries--not only
China, the US or Japan but in Europe or South-East Asia. If
it’s all starting to sound impossible for one person to manage, it probably is.
Fortunately several investment products are designed to diversifying for you.
For example, one unit trust can hold a much wider range of local and overseas
investments than an individual could dream of. Take care,
though. Putting all you money in just one diversified unit trust still exposes
you to the risk that the trust will be badly damaged. Perhaps using two or three
trusts or other diversified investments would be the answer. Which of the following idioms may be used by the author as a suggestion for minimizing risks
A.More haste, less speed. B.Don’t put all your eggs into one basket. C.Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched. D.Look before you leap.