Earth Day and handling stress and anxiety during COVID-19

Dear traders,

I trust you and your family are doing well during these uncertain times. This unprecedented season is challenging for all of us, but I know with all of my heart that we will pass through them much better if we stay strong and maintain a positive perspective. Each day I see in the news stories of people coming together to help each other be safe and healthy. I’m sure you come across these kinds of stories too. I find them uplifting and inspiring. I hope you do too.

Dr. Jonathan Katz, our in-house psychologist and coach, has kindly offered to host a special webinar for our traders on the topic of: “Handling Stress and Anxiety During COVID-19”.

Time: Thursday, April 16th, 2020, 5pm ET
Location: Classroom

Dr. Katz has volunteered himself in order to present this special session to us, and he is not being compensated or expecting anything in return. On behalf of the community, I thank him for his generosity, and I hope we can all come together and benefit from this workshop and the good advice that I know will be discussed and shared.

Remember, this Friday, the US markets are closed in observance of Good Friday (April 10th), but they will be open for trading on Easter Monday (April 13th).

On a different note, April 22 is Earth Day. As an avid lover of the outdoors, I enjoy exploring and visiting different regions (to be honest, all regions!) of this amazing planet we live on. The COVID-19 outbreak has proven to everyone that the world is very interconnected. Humans, countries, continents, but also interspecies’ lives, are woven together and connected – and we can never turn the clock back to a more isolated time. A virus once circulating in bats is now “blizzarding” Human civilizations. No matter where we live, our oceans are connected and our air is the same. This is our one and only planet; this is our home. And I love it!

It is amazing how the economic slowdown and social distancing due to COVID-19 has made our air cleaner. I find myself fascinated by the current images that compare “then and now” levels of pollution in various parts of the world.

Have a look at the image below for average nitrogen dioxide concentrations from air pollution across France in March 2019, left, and from March 14 to 25, 2020, right, as mapped by a satellite. The European Space Agency says this reduction is due to the strict quarantine measures implemented to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

I know having a long weekend in self-isolation while practicing social distancing is not as fun as normal times, but I wish you a great holiday weekend and I hope everyone is enjoying this time to connect even more with family and close loved ones.

To your health and success,
Andrew