Market Update

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets fell sharply again over the last week in response to another round of hawkish rate hikes pushing up bond yields and adding to recession fears and with a threatened intensification of the war in Ukraine adding to worries. Reflecting the poor global lead Australian shares fell around another 2.7% with falls led by interest sensitive IT, property, utility and retail shares. Bond yields rose as ever higher short-term interest [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets fell sharply over the last week, reversing their rally from the previous week’s lows as US inflation surprised on the upside adding again to Fed rate hike expectations. The poor global lead saw Australian shares fall back to their lows of the previous week with falls led by property, health, consumer staple and industrial shares. Bond yields rose as higher short term interest rates for longer were factored in. [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Sharemarkets were mostly up over past week, with the US lifting by 2.1%, Australia +0.7%, Japan +2.1% and China +2.3%. The exception was in the Eurozone where equities fell by 0.9%. After global sharemarkets rallied hard from mid-June to August on expectations of a “central bank pivot” from aggressive rate hikes, shares had been on a downtrend since then as central banks have remained hawkish and economic data has been solid [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets remained under pressure over the last week on the back of continuing mostly hawkish comments from the Fed and ECB and ongoing concerns about recession. Australian shares had remained a bit more resilient through August than global shares did (helped by mostly positive earnings reports) but are now coming under pressure too with falls over the last week led by miners, energy, utility and IT stocks. Bond yields [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Sharemarkets were down over the week reflecting a pause in the rally that started in mid-June, but mostly because of hawkish comments from US Federal Reserve (Fed) chair Powell’s highly anticipated speech at the Jackson Hole central bank meeting. US shares were down 4%, with all sectors down except for energy. Australian shares are down slightly (-0.2%) with all sectors down except for energy, utilities and materials. European shares were down [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The global share market rebound faltered a bit over the last week with mixed economic data and mostly hawkish messages from central banks. US and European shares were little changed, Japanese shares rose and Chinese shares fell. The Australian share market rose solidly though helped by strong earnings results for some companies led by strong gains in retail, resources and industrial stocks. Bond yields generally rose, although they fell a bit [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past weekThe share market rebound continued over the last week helped by weaker than expected US inflation data. Australian shares were little changed though with strong gains in resources largely offset by sharp falls in IT, health and property shares. Bond yields generally rose as the fall in yields in prior weeks had gone a little too far too fast. Oil prices rose partly due to US supply disruptions and increased demand forecasts on [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The rebound in share markets continued over the last week, helped by good earnings data and relief that increased China/US tensions resulting from US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan did not spill over into a more serious conflict (at least not yet). Despite a slight set back on Friday, as strong US payrolls data were seen as keeping the US Federal Reserve (Fed) hawkish for now, for the week [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past weekThe bounce back in shares continued over the last week on hopes that slowing growth will see central banks ease up on the pace of monetary tightening helped along by mostly good earnings results. However, while US and European shares rose, Japanese and Chinese shares fell. The positive global lead along with a less bad than feared CPI result reducing the risk of a further step up in RBA rate hikes pushed the [...]

Investment markets & key developments Global sharemarkets rallied again this week with US equities up 2.5%, Australia 2.4%, Europe 3.4%, Japan 4.2% while Chinese stocks are down by 0.2%. Positive gains in most sharemarkets after weeks of declines are leading to questions about whether we have seen the low in markets. Views have not changed – the risk is of more downside to equities until there are clearer signs that inflation has peaked (which means central banks can pause [...]