Public capital investment – more bark than bite?

From

Public investment has been trending down as a share of GDP since mid‑2010. But analysis of the 2016/17 State and Federal Budgets shows that public sector investment is likely to... Read more continue reading

Sydney petrol at 11-year lows

From

Weekly petrol prices Retail petrol: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average Australian price of unleaded petrol fell by 3.2 cents per litre to 111.2 cents per... Read more continue reading

Weekly market update – week ending 12 August, 2016

From

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Shares moved higher again over the last week with US shares hitting new record highs, Eurozone shares hitting their highest since... Read more continue reading

Weekly market update – week ending 5 August, 2016

From

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Share markets mostly pulled back over the last week. Profit taking after the strong gains seen in July were part of... Read more continue reading

The impact of Bank of England rate cut

From

The Bank of England (BoE) last Friday announced that it had cut rates to 0.25% – a new low in the Bank’s 322 year history. The move was well-flagged and fully... Read more continue reading

Australian business confidence jumps to highest level in over five years

From

Business confidence rose by nine points this quarter, to now sit at the highest level in more than five years among Australia’s small and medium businesses (SMBs), according to the... Read more continue reading

The Fed: Silent on September

From

When Fed Chair Janet Yellen spoke in Cambridge, Mass. on 27 May, she outlined conditions to justify a rate hike: “The economy is continuing to improve … growth looks to be... Read more continue reading

Slide in prices of imported consumer goods

From

International trade prices Export & import prices: Import prices fell by 1.0 per cent in the June quarter and were down 2.8 per cent on a year ago. Prices of... Read more continue reading

Inflation falls to the lowest level in 17 years

From

Consumer price index Low inflation: The Consumer Price Index – the main measure of inflation in Australia – rose by 0.4 per cent in the June quarter, in line with... Read more continue reading

Megatrends impacting investment markets

From

Key points Key megatrends relevant for investors are: slower growth in household debt; the backlash against economic rationalism & rise of populism; geopolitical tensions; aging and slowing populations; low commodity... Read more continue reading