News Updates
AS IT HAPPENS
Why don't the media run more good news? One view is bad news sells. If people preferred good news, the media would supply it. But markets don't see news as necessarily good or bad. Read on
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
In this article, AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver discusses what is on everyone's mind lately, the strong possibility of an interest rate hike in December. Is this something that should be feared or celebrated? Read more here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
The Standard & Poors scorecard, which compares active manager investment performance with index fund performance is here, and the results further validates Westmount's investment philosophy - great news for our clients. Read more here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
As broadly expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) decided to hold off a little longer and keep interest rates steady today.
While there is a general consensus out there that the RBA stands ready to cut interest rates in the future should the Australian economy remain sluggish, the RBA wants to see more economic data filter through the system as some parts of the Australian economy are actually showing signs of life. And if the economy continues to gradually improve, the RBA will be less likely to move on rates (a good thing).
So in short, the RBA, by it's language today, is effectively saying that conditions are by no means ideal, but good enough for now.
Of course, the RBA will also be looking over its shoulder to the US, where interest rates are widely expected to rise either this or early next year.
We'll keep Westmount clients informed of any new developments going forward.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
A record number of Australians are entering retirement and the majority have no idea how they’ll pay for it.
Over half of Australians don’t believe their superannuation fund will provide enough income for a comfortable retirement, forcing them to either work longer or find additional income sources, according to a new report by the Financial Services Council and ING DIRECT.
The report found 55 per cent of Australians believe they’ll need to work longer and draw on other assets such as property to fund their retirement. One in nine Australians are counting on an inheritance.
The report also found that workers of all ages were open to the idea of working beyond their planned retirement age in order to build enough wealth to pay for retirement, mindful that mental and physical health and access to employment were potential impediments.
It’s clear from the report’s findings that the majority of Australians don’t have any certainty or confidence when it comes to retirement and they need to start planning a lot earlier.
For many Australians, it simply won’t be possible to work well into their 70s nor do they have other assets or a wealthy benefactor to fall back on. Even those fortunate enough to have wealthy relatives can’t bank on an inheritance given Australians are now living longer than ever which increases the risk of potential benefactors exhausting most of their wealth before they die.
This conundrum highlights the importance of saving and planning for retirement early. It also highlights the need for financial advisers to help more people prepare for, and transition to, retirement.
A professional adviser can help clients work out how much income they’ll need to meet their retirement needs and goals, and put a plan in place which will maximise the chance of them achieving their goals with minimal risk.
The amount of income people need in retirement is highly individual and depends on factors such as their lifestyle and expectations. The report found around half of workers believe $500,000 is enough to fund a comfortable retirement. A further 39 per cent estimate that they need $1 million or more to achieve their retirement goals.
By comparison, the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) estimates the lump sum needed to support a comfortable retirement is $640,000 for a couple and $545,000 for a single person, assuming they own their own home and receive a part Age Pension.
An encouraging takeout from the report was that consumers, particularly baby boomers, were increasingly engaged with their superannuation and keen to take control of their wealth. Baby boomers were also the most likely group to have received professional financial advice.
If you need to take another look at your retirement or superannuation, call Westmount or your current adviser, before the holiday season takes hold.
Beginning 2016 with a clear picture and an achievable retirement action plan will make for a more relaxing break and an energised start to the new year.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
This update is published by Westmount Financial/Westmount Securities Pty Ltd (ABN 42 090 595 289/AFSL 225715). It is intended to provide general information only and does not take into account any particular person’s objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, you should, before acting on any information in this document, speak to us and/or a taxation/finance professional.
Australian housing remains overvalued, and the Sydney and Melbourne markets, in particular, appear to be cooling. Property investors need to be careful going forward as price falls of around 5-10% are expected in the coming year or two - a potential problem for highly indebted property owners. Read more here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
Following steep overnight falls in Europe and the US, today our own market followed suit, with the benchmark S&P/ASX200 index down a hefty 195.1 points, or 3.82 per cent, to 4,918.4 points.
So far this quarter, local markets have fallen by just over 9 per cent. So with just one day left in the quarter, it is likely to be the worst period for investors since the third quarter of 2011, when the market fell 13 per cent amid an economic crisis in Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain.
This time however, the explanation is an easy one to understand – China’s slowing economic growth. Over the September quarter, and especially the past two months, China's manufacturing sector has come under severe pressure.
With iron ore prices flat lining over the quarter, oil prices down and the price of copper in free-fall, it’s easy to understand why Australia’s resource sector, which is heavily dependent on demand from China, is experiencing the perfect storm.
Remember, copper is viewed as a baseline for the health of the Chinese economy because it is used heavily in industrial building, housing construction and technology.
AMP Capital's head of portfolio management Debbie Alliston said China is the key factor in plunging share prices. "Markets are reacting to fears that this going to slow global growth significantly, particularly for those countries that are reliant on Chinese demand," she said.
Weakness in the Australian banking sector, amid moves by regulators to slow lending to property investors amid soaring Sydney and Melbourne home prices, has also weighed on the share market.
On top of that are the usual worries about the timing of a US Federal Reserve interest rate hike.
But Ms Alliston said members of superannuation funds with investments in a range of assets should not panic about the market's downturn, and sit tight instead. "This is definitely not another GFC," she said.
According to another analyst, the market's heavy fall has “Australian shares looking cheap, and stock valuations are probably near the point of luring buyers back into the market, especially with interest rates set to remain low.”
We'll keep Westmount clients updated on any important developments.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
This update is published by Westmount Financial/Westmount Securities Pty Ltd (ABN 42 090 595 289/AFSL 225715). It is intended to provide general information only and does not take into account any particular person’s objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, you should, before acting on any information in this document, speak to us and/or a taxation/finance professional.
Produced by Russell Investments, I'm afraid to say that this particular illustration, going back to August 1984, brings back many, many memories. Worth a quick look. View Here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
At the time of writing, the Australian share market (ASX200) has fallen by 13% since the highs of February this year, much of this occurring over the last couple of months. It also seems that the usual doomsayers have been working overtime, doing their level best to frighten investors into either subscribing to their alarmist newsletters, buying their books or engage investment services. On the other side of the spectrum you have some perennially optimistic fund managers and financial advisers who prefer to bury their heads in the sand, refusing to acknowledge that the landscape has changed.
Of course, the truth is usually somewhere in between, and very few commentators strike the right balance better than AMP Capital's Dr Shane Oliver. In this article, Dr Oliver provides a calm, balanced, 'grown-up' perspective of the recent share market falls, and their place in history. As usual, this publication is a must for anxious retirees and investors. Read more here
Also, read 9 rules for investors to keep in mind
Going forward from here, Westmount clients will continue to be kept apprised of the latest important developments, in real time, good news, or bad.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
The Reserve bank board met on Tuesday 1 September and kept official interest rates on hold at 2%, continuing to assess the impact of the two rate cuts earlier in the year.
Lack of business investment No doubt the RBA board would have discussed at length current weak commodity prices impacting our national income, the lack of business investment as well as two key developments that arose earlier in August. These include the recent devaluation of the Chinese currency and the weak Australian unemployment report.
Unemployment rate Previous RBA commentary indicated it considered the unemployment rate profile was around 6%. However the other key development in August was that the unemployment rate jumped to 6.3%. A higher unemployment rate is also a catalyst for an inflation downgrade, due to weak wages growth.
Business conditions and confidence The NAB business confidence survey for August pared back the post Budget gains, however both conditions and confidence are suggesting a turnaround in the non-mining economy, with conditions varying greatly across industries. The confidence index is still positive and holding around average levels.
Macquarie Bank is of the view that the combination of the Chinese currency devaluation, a weakening labour market and excess capacity in the economy all support the case for a further rate cut in November. The next RBA board meeting will be held on Tuesday 6 October.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
The decline in interest rates to historic lows in recent years has led to anxiety among Australian investors about what will happen to their fixed interest holdings when overnight interest rates begin to rise.
This apprehension is based on the conventional view that longer-dated bonds underperform in this type of rising interest rate environment.
Dr Steve Garth provides another perspective in Cuffelinks.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
DFA's VP Jim Parker weighs in on the latest market volatility. As always, Jim's 'Outside the Flags' issue is worth a quick read. Read here.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
The rout continues
Following a 3.5 percent sell-off on Wall St last Friday night, local and Asian markets continued to shed hard won gains with China leading the way, falling 8.5 percent in just one day. For some background on what has been happening, please read my previous note (Market Update 1 - 21 Aug 2015). For an updated viewpoint Read more here from Russell Investments.
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
This update is published by Westmount Financial/Westmount Securities Pty Ltd (ABN 42 090 595 289/AFSL 225715). It is intended to provide general information only and does not take into account any particular person’s objectives, financial situation or needs. Because of this, you should, before acting on any information in this document, speak to us and/or a taxation/finance professional.
Sometimes it helps to take look the world through an unconventional perspective when thinking about the size of things.
So here’s a pretty awesome map from Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Chief Investment Strategist Michael Hartnett that shows the world according to free-float equity market capitalisation in billions of dollars measured by the MSCI.
The US, with a market cap of $US19.8 trillion, is the biggest and represents 52% of the world’s market cap. Japan is in second place at $US3 trillion, followed by the UK at $US2.7 trillion, and then France at $US1.3 trillion.
Notably, Hong Kong’s market cap is nearly the same size of China (both of which are significantly smaller than countries like the US and Japan).
Meanwhile, Russia, which has a bigger surface area than Pluto, is about the same size as Finland in terms of market cap.
Check out the whole map below.
Rick MaggiWestmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
Every year, fund manager Vanguard produce a graphical, chronological 'snapshot' of the performance of local and international sharemarkets, property, cash and bonds, along with significant news events of the day. Always worth a look. Read more here
Rick Maggi Westmount Financial Clear Focus. Better Solutions.
