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April 2009  Economic review of Q1 2009 Economic data for the first quarter of this year show that the world's major economies are in recession. It will take some time for the stimulus packages to take effect and the current economic, business and investment environment remains extremely challenging. Back home, economic activity has slowed substantially and output declines are likely to persist for most of the year. The current policy stimulus should, however, allow for at least a modest economic recovery during 2010. You can read a review of how the global and local economies have performed so far this year and what the implications are for the future. Diversifying your investment portfolio It's never easy to predict the future but most investors and market commentators would agree that some of the events of the last year were almost impossible to foresee. This highlights the value of investing in a balanced, or diversified, portfolio. Choosing a mix of different asset classes helps to protect your capital and minimise your risk exposure over the long term. For more information on diversifying your investment portfolio, read about: How to diversify your investment portfolio. An interview with Johan Kleu, head of investment products at Liberty Life. What asset classes are, how they behave and why it's a good idea to mix them up. An easy guide to asset classes. How asset classes performed from 1998 to 2008. Why it's important to diversify your portfolio. Your feedback is important - talk to us! Thank you for the feedback we have received on these newsletters so far. Your comments and suggestions will help us to give you relevant information for planning and managing your finances. Please keep talking to us and telling us what you think! You can email your comments to [email protected] Kind regards Steven Braudo Chief Executive Officer: Liberty Insurance Global economic review STANLIB economist, Kevin Lings, gives a review of the global economy for the first quarter of 2009. Weekly economic updates The Weekly Focus is a commentary on markets, economic and investments prepared by Kevin Lings and Melissa Rankin of STANLIB. You can read the latest developments every Tuesday by following the link on http://www.stanlib.com Local economic review Liberty Life economist, Tendani Mantshimuli, summarises what's happened in the South African economy during the first quarter of 2009 and how this has affected South Africans and local companies. Diversifying your investments How to diversify your investment portfolio. Guide to asset classes. Performance of asset classes from 1998 to 2008.