Most Canadians say they need annual returns of 4% or higher to reach their retirement savings goals. Yet, nearly 70% of those polled primarily hold guaranteed investment products since they're wary of markets. Fear is still affecting investment decisions and keeping Canadians from meeting their goal.

The disconnect between investors' return expectations and portfolio allocations could be a barrier, especially as we see continued downward pressure on interest rates. The sharp increase in market volatility since oil prices collapsed has amplified people's markets fears

The outlook is bright for emerging markets. That's due to the decline in oil prices, as well as the European Central Bank's dedication to stimulating the Eurozone. Although dipping crude prices hurt domestically, emerging markets such as Indonesia, India and Turkey are large oil importers and, thus, major beneficiaries.

In mid-January, the ECB launched a €1.1-tillion QE program. The central bank's efforts continued efforts to boost Eurozone growth will not only have an impact on Europe, but will also have an indirect impact on other international markets.