Market Update 8 July 2022 Investment markets & key developments Share markets mostly rose over the last week on hopes that central banks will be able to tame inflation without causing a recession. However, it was messy with Eurozone shares – where the risk of recession is greatest – first making a new bear market low earlier in the week. Australian shares followed the global lead higher with very strong gains in IT, consumer …
2021-22 saw poor investment returns – the bad news and the good Key points 2021-22 was a rough year for investors as high inflation, rising interest rates and recession fears impacted. Shares could still fall further as interest rates continue to rise and recession risks are high. However, inflation pressures are showing some signs of easing which may take pressure off central banks from later this year. Some key things for investors to keep …
Market Update 1 July 2022 Investment markets & key developments Recession fears dominated over the last week pushing US, European and Japanese shares down, although Chinese shares (having already had a 35% bear market) rose. Australian shares were little changed with gains in utilities, energy and industrials offset by falls in property, IT and telco shares. Recession fears also pushed down long-term bond yields, oil prices and metal prices with the iron ore price …
Econosights: How are consumers responding to higher interest rates? Key points Consumers are responding to higher interest rates: housing market indicators are slowing (home price declines have accelerated and auction clearance rates are falling), consumer sentiment is weakening and retail spending is slowing. This is the expected consumer response as interest rates rise. The RBA wants to see slowing economic activity to reduce current inflation and inflation expectations. The concern is around too many rate …
Australia’s Achilles’ heel – high household debt and rising interest rates…it’s not as bad as it looks, but it’s still an issue Key points Australian household debt has risen dramatically since the 1980s and is high compared to other countries. The rise is not as bad as it looks because it’s been matched by rising wealth and debt servicing problems are low. However, this will likely change as interest rates rise further & if …
Market Update 24 June 2022 Investment markets & key developments Share markets managed to stabilise and, in most major markets, bounce from oversold levels over the last week as there were no new hawkish surprises from central banks and weak economic data saw bond yields fall taking pressure of share market valuations despite increasing worries about recession. For the week (to date) US shares are up just over 3% and Australian shares rose by just …
Econosights: Global growth fears – are we heading into a recession? Key points Global growth is slowing as fiscal and monetary policy are tightening. High inflation means that interest rates will be increased further from here. Recession indicators (an inversion in the US 2/10 year yield curve and the bear market in global shares) are showing increased odds of a recession in the next 12-18 months. We have lowered Australian GDP forecasts and now see …
The plunge in shares & flow on to super – key things for investors to keep in mind during times of market turmoil Key points Share markets have fallen sharply in recent weeks continuing the plunge that started early this year due to worries about inflation, monetary tightening, recession & geopolitical issues including the invasion of Ukraine. It’s still too early to say markets have bottomed. This will weigh on super returns for this financial …
Market Update 17 June 2022 Investment markets & key developments Share markets tumbled again over the last week as markets moved to anticipate even more aggressive rate hikes from central banks after the release of higher than expected US inflation data. For the week (so far) global shares are down around 6% and Australian shares are down by around 7%. The fall in the Australian share market was led by IT stocks which have been under …
Market Update 10 June 2022 Investment markets and key developments over the past week Sharemarkets came under renewed downward pressure this week (after a few weeks of rallying). Themes of stagflation risks, heightened recession odds, hawkish central banks and questions as to whether inflation has peaked or not continue to be the main drivers of markets. US shares were down by 2.2% with the tech-heavy Nasdaq down by a similar am. Australian shares are 4% …
