Labour force Employment rose by 4,900 in March after a 6,300 fall in jobs in February (previously reported as a rise of 17,500 jobs). Full-time jobs fell by 19,900 while part-time jobs rose by 24,800. Economists had tipped an increase in total jobs of around 20,000. Hours worked rose by 0.3 per cent in March and were […]
continue readingTrade relationships are having to be reset Trade tension is being blamed for what is essentially a ‘normal’ market correction. It is not irrelevant, but it is the new economy that is more important. As last year, Xi has made important concessions on access, without appearing to do so. China’s capital markets continue to open […]
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19
Apr
2018
Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets rebounded over the last week as while volatility remained high not helped by worries about a missile strike on Syria and the FBI raiding Trump’s lawyer’s office, trade war risks receded. The risk on mood saw bond yields, commodity prices and the Australian dollar […]
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16
Apr
2018
Consumer sentiment; Building activity; China inflation Consumer confidence: The Westpac/Melbourne Institute survey of consumer sentiment index fell by 0.6 per cent to 102.4 points in April, down from 103.0 points in March. The index is above its long-term average of 101.5 points. A reading above 100 points denotes optimism. Home building: The number of dwelling […]
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12
Apr
2018
Summary Portfolio performance was driven by positive returns in equity and total return strategies. This week has been dominated by trade war news. This initially caused risk assets to sell off, however subsequent calming statements led to a reversal and an improvement in sentiment. As volatility fell from its highs, we held back from adding […]
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10
Apr
2018
Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets had another volatile week – starting down as the US announced details of proposed 25% tariff hikes on $US50bn of imports from China and as China announced its own plans for same sized tariffs, rebounding as investors came to the view that some sort […]
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09
Apr
2018
Financial advisers have refocused their recommendations and research on growth strategies following market volatility in February with property, infrastructure and multi-asset strategies particularly in favour. The renewed focus on growth options follows a dash for cash in the first weeks of February after global markets dropped. These are just some of the findings from analysis […]
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05
Apr
2018
Retail Trade; Building approvals; Consumer sentiment Retail trade: Retail trade rose by 0.6 per cent in February after rising by an upwardly-revised 0.2 per cent in January (previous up 0.1 per cent). Annual sales growth lifted from 2.1 per cent to a 7-month high of 3.0 per cent. Victorians spend: Over the year to February, Victorian retail […]
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05
Apr
2018
Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets had another messy week with an early bounce as investors realised that trade war fears were overstated but concerns about restrictions on Chinese investment in US tech stocks, a regulatory response to Facebook’s privacy breach and a continuing rise in bank funding costs all […]
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03
Apr
2018
Key points Worries about the Fed, trade wars (the risk of which has been significantly exaggerated) and President Trump generally have increased the risk around the global outlook but are unlikely to drive a major bear market. The key issue is whether the US is about to enter a recession and our assessment remains that […]
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28
Mar
2018
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