With the volatility in the global equity market in recent months, many investors are wondering when is the best time to exit or re-enter the markets.

To help investors answer that question, Fidelity Investments Canada ULC today launched four online tools that illustrate how global markets and asset classes have reacted and recovered from major upsets.

The interactive tools help to put market volatility in a historical context. One tool, for example, illustrates how long it took markets to recover following major incidents including the Asia Crisis, the tech meltdown and Black Monday in 1987.

Fidelity’s new volatility tools include information about the following basic investment concepts that investors should keep in mind in times of market volatility:

> Market crises: illustrates how markets have recovered from past corrections.

> Timing the market: shows how market timing can affect your returns.

> Stock picking: shows how stock picking can help you outperform the market.

> Unpredictable returns: demonstrates the volatility of different investment classes.

“Erratic markets like this can cause anyone concern about risk and volatility and we understand that it is tempting to contemplate moving to cash or pulling back from your long-term investing plan,” says Peter Drake, vp, economic and retirement research, Fidelity Investments Canada ULC. “However, history shows that even one or two days out of the market can make a significant difference so staying invested is still the best course of action.”

By using the volatility tools, investors and advisors can see how missing just a few good days of performance can significantly reduce their overall returns, how some stocks still produce positive returns in down markets, and how the longer you hold an investment, the less volatile it becomes.

The tools are available at www.fidelity.ca/volatility.