It’s been a banner year for New Zealand sport, with a world championship win in women’s netball, the narrowest of world cup losses in men’s cricket and an upcoming attempt by the All Blacks to win an historic third consecutive rugby world cup…
2018-19: A rough ride, but ok in the end...
The past financial year saw a roller coaster ride for investors. Share markets plunged into Christmas only to rebound over the last six months. This note reviews the last financial year and takes a look at the investment outlook for 2019-20…
Poll Position?
Australia’s recent federal election result not only confounded the pollsters, the pundits and the punters, it provided another lesson about the dangers of using political news headlines to guide your investment strategy…
Uncommonly average...
Ask a farmer about average rainfall figures and he’s likely to look at you sceptically. Knowing how actual rainfall varies from year to year, farmers will carefully manage their crops and irrigation. It’s a lesson many investors could learn as well…
And it's on!
Some might be forgiven for thinking the wheels have fallen off Australian politics over the past decade with the same number of PM changes as Italy, a fractured Senate and “minority government” at times making sensible visionary long-term policy making hard…
What does a swing to the left mean for investors?
When I was in my early 20s I thought socialism might be the way to go. Two things happened. One I studied economics which led me to the conclusion that socialism/heavy state intervention doesn’t lead to the best outcome in terms of living standards for most…
Share markets take-off
Throw away your year-end investment statement and take another look. Since January 1st, local and global sharemarkets have been on a 'tear', defying last year's doomsayers, and rebounding by about 11% (for now)…
Market sell-off continues...
U.S. stocks fell sharply last Friday night and the downward trajectory continues today in Australia and Asia. Local markets are now at a two year low…
What happened??
Your No 1 Financial Focus, Decade By Decade...
Everyone has a different life journey they’re on. But getting on top of key financial goals as you follow your own path could see you enjoying a more comfortable lifestyle and being ready for the next chapter to begin. Read our guide to getting all your money matters sorted out, one decade at a time…
Common sense tips to help manage your finances
We all instinctively know ‘right’ from ‘wrong’, but sometimes its a good idea to go back to the common sense basics…
A transformed investor...
Learn how one Hollywood producer adopted a new investment perspective that changed his view of market uncertainty by accepting a few simple truths…
Are shares too expensive?
Some commentators claim shares are way overvalued and so a crash is inevitable. As always, it’s a lot more complicated, but given the current turbulence in share markets it’s worth having a look at whether share markets are expensive or not as a guide to how vulnerable we are to further falls….
Australian Economy: 5 Things You Should Know...
For years now, many have told us that Australia is heading for an imminent recession. By contrast official forecasts have long been looking for several years of above trend growth. In the event neither has happened and we don’t see them happening anytime soon. Against this backdrop there are five things you should know about the Australian economy…
9 Keys To Successful Investing...
In the rough and tumble of investment markets its very easy to get distracted: by talk of the next best thing that will make you rich, by the ever-present predictions of an imminent crash, by the worry list that constantly surrounds investment markets relating to growth, profits, interest rates, politics, etc…
Trumponomics
For the most part Trump the pragmatist has dominated so far. But we have clearly seen a swing to Trump the populist this year – raising risks for investors...
Fear Factor Investing
Fear is a factor in many of our investment decisions. Now, that’s not always a bad thing because fear can be an effective motivator that overcomes another great emotional roadblock for investors – procrastination…
Strong returns, but storm clouds gather...
After reviewing the returns of the last financial year, this note looks at the investment outlook for 2018-19 financial year…
23 Months Later, Rates Still on Hold...
Global Debt: Be alert, but not alarmed
As global interest rates bottom, concerns about rising inflation and interest rates, quite naturally, come to the fore, particularly in a time where global debt (country, corporate and personal debt) are an all time high. So as investors, retirees and superannuation members, how concerned should we be? AMP’s Dr Shane Oliver gives 7 reasons to be alert, but not alarmed…