China’s growth is showing signs of slowing – a 27% drop in sales in the property sector in the six months to June isn’t helping. That said, the IMF has upgraded its growth forecast for China to an impressive 5%, second only to India, which is expected to grow at … Read more
The rise of tech stocks in the US has again pushed markets to new highs with the NASDAQ +17% year to date and the S&P 500 +14%. As expected, the RBA kept rates on hold at 4.35%. No one is expecting rate cuts in 2024, and the door was left open … Read more
The latest US jobs data shows their economy is losing momentum, but this has done little to halt markets. The ABS has just announced that real GPD expanded just 0.1% for the March quarter, dragging annual growth to 1.1%, its weakest since the recession of 1992. The big difference back then, … Read more
Geopolitical tensions remain high, with flare-ups in several countries and new uncertainty in the Middle East. China announced moves to shore up its property market by removing the floor on mortgage rates, cutting the minimum down payment requirements for individual home buyers, and encouraging local governments to acquire homes and convert them … Read more
Residential property leads real estate for investment returns… Nothing has cleared on the geopolitical front, with tensions in the Middle East, Russia, and Ukraine, as well as between China and Australia. Commodity prices are still very strong, with Copper close to US $10,000/tn, Gold US $2,323/oz, Silver US $27,455/oz, and Iron Ore US $119/tn. All … Read more
Renewed rate cut expectations triggered a global rally in equities that pushed benchmarks from the US to Japan and Europe to record highs last week. The S&P ASX/200 is within 51 points of its record. Now trading at 7,802 as I type. I suspect there will be some profit taking … Read more
The Nikkei has gained 17% this year, making it the world’s best-performing stock indices, followed by the NASDAQ at 15.97% year to date. The S&P ASX/200 is flat today, having closed up yesterday at 7,663 based on solid reporting from Coles and Reece Plumbing. The Aussie dollar is still rangebound, … Read more
US consumer prices rose 3.1% in the year through January cooling less than had been expected. The S&P 500 was above 5,000 for the first time on Monday putting it into “nosebleed territory” but has since come off after that hotter than expected inflation figure, which has clouded rate cut expectations. … Read more
The IMF has upgraded its forecasts for world growth to 3.1% this year, although Australia’s is expected to be 1.4% in 2024 and 2.1% in 2025. With annualised growth coming in at 3.1% for the US – the strongest of any major advanced economy – it doesn’t look like the Fed … Read more
Further geopolitical tensions in the Middle East cause rising fears of further escalation. China’s GDP numbers out today show their economy grew at 5.2% growth which is enviable given predictions for Australia’s growth at less than 2% this year. The commodities space has been on a rollercoaster with the Uranium bulls cheering as the price hit … Read more