Certainty the goal for investors in '09, says Marac

Marac CFO Alan Williams

A leading finance company sees New Zealanders flocking to long-term fixed interest investments this year.

"With so much uncertainty remaining in the market, longer term fixed interest investments provide a level of certainty around the level of return", said Alan Williams, chief financial officer at finance company Marac.

"Although many investors take professional financial advice, it is likely that people have more time during the holiday period to sit down with their friends and family to discuss their investment strategy and talk about the year ahead", said Williams.

"Fixed interest rates fell by approximately 30 per cent during the past 12 months, and another cut in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) is expected towards the end of January.

"Investors should take advantage of the current higher long term rates before they potentially fall further."