Market Update

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets have seen another volatile week being buffeted by waxing and waning fears of Russia invading Ukraine and fears of inflation and interest rate hikes. This left US, European and Japanese share markets down. Solid profit results helped protect the Australian share market, which was up slightly for the week, with gains in health, property and consumer staple shares offsetting falls in IT, telco and material stocks. US and global [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets started the week on a positive note, clawing back some of the declines that occurred in January. However, the elevated US inflation data worried investors about fast interest rate rises from the US Fed. US share markets fell after the inflation data but were still up by 0.1% over the week (a the time of writing). Australian shares managed to hold onto gains and are 2.4% higher over [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets rose over the last week helped by a rally from oversold conditions, mostly good US earnings results and as Fed officials downplayed expectations for a 0.5% rate hike in March. However, there was plenty of volatility along the way reflecting widely divergent US tech company earnings and hawkish shifts by various central banks. Australian shares benefitted through the week from the positive global lead and indications from the [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past weekGlobal share markets saw another rough week as concerns about inflation and monetary tightening intensified against the backdrop of ongoing Russian tensions over Ukraine and Omicron disruptions. However, there was a decent bounce in Australian and Japanese shares at the end of the week from oversold conditions helped by an Apple earnings beat. From their highs to their lows US and Australian shares have now had 10% falls, Eurozone shares have had an [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets remained under pressure over the past week on the back of concerns about rising inflation, monetary tightening, Omicron and tensions with Russia over Ukraine. The negative global lead and talk of higher interest rates in Australia also pushed Australian shares down with falls led by health, IT, Telco and financial stocks. Long term bond yields rose initially but their increase was curtailed by safe haven demand as share [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets remained under pressure over the past week from concerns about rising US inflation and faster US interest rate hikes, with interest rate sensitive tech stocks leading the declines. Omicron related disruptions are not helping although markets don’t appear to be too concerned. While European shares rose slightly US, Japanese and Chinese shares fell. The weak global lead weighed on the Australian share market with declines in retailers, tech [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The economic calendar was fairly quiet in the first week of the new year, but fears of rising US interest rates led to some sharemarket wobbles. US sharemarkets were down 1.5%, with large falls in tech, real estate, healthcare and communication sectors. Rising 10-year bond yields (up by 20 basis points since last week to 1.7%) were negative for tech stocks (with the tech-heavy NASDAQ down 3.6% over the week). [...]

Issue: 22nd December 2021 2021 Wrap up: Covid the sequel 2021 opened with the good news that Covid numbers were slowing and the promise of vaccines. We distracted ourselves with the traditional summer of cricket and the new year carried with it the hope of renewal and better times ahead. It was easy to believe that the worst was behind us... By March, our Covid statistics were still looking good. You couldn't turn the TV on without seeing Annastacia, [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets were mixed over the past week with worries about the latest coronavirus wave and central bank monetary tightening causing volatility and tech stocks remaining under pressure. European and Japanese shares rose but US and Chinese shares fell. The soft global lead not helped by surging coronavirus cases locally saw the Australian share market fall with declines in health, IT and retail stocks offsetting gains in material, utility and [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past weekGlobal share markets rebounded over the past week on indications that Omicron may only be resulting in mild cases. The positive global lead along with continuing RBA dovishness on interest rates also pushed the Australian share market higher for the week led by utilities, retailers, property and energy stocks. Reflecting the risk on tone bond yields, metal prices, oil prices and the $A all rose.The 5% or so pull back in share markets [...]