With all the goodwill around the world, there is sadly little relief in sight in the Middle East and Ukraine right now. The US election result has produced a “Trump Rally” on markets, with the S&P 500 hitting new all-time high on Tuesday and recording +25.34% year to date. The NASDAQ … Read more
The “Axis of ill will”, as “The Australian” is calling the authoritarian leaders of China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, have been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. North Korean troops are on the ground in Russia. I didn’t see that one coming! Rising geopolitical tension led to investors flocking … Read more
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Europe continue, and much of the world’s shipping is now redirected through the Suez Canal, which is increasing costs (i.e. inflationary!). China’s more modest-than-expected stimulus plans announced Tuesday saw the Iron Ore price retreat, with futures now trading at $US104 a tonne. Gold, considered a safe-haven … Read more
Geopolitical tensions have only intensified over the last few weeks plus trade friction is also a concern between China, Europe and the US. There has been a global market sell off with investors unsettled by rising interest rates in Japan and a weakening US economy as signalled by their rising unemployment rate … Read more
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