Lending lifts to a 6-year high

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Lending finance Lending accelerates. Total lending finance rose by 1.7 per cent in January after rising by 2.6 per cent in December. Lending totalled $65.9 billion – a 6-year high. Lending... Read more continue reading

Does debt matter? The diverging tales of the eurozone and the emerging markets

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Bond markets are full of surprises. Core government bonds have been one of the strongest performing asset classes in 2014, propelled in part by worrying signs of emerging market stress.... Read more continue reading

China slowdown, but holidays add complications

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Chinese trade and inflation data Chinese trade: The Chinese trade balance swung from a surplus of US$31.86 billion in January to a deficit of US$22.98 billion in February. The result is... Read more continue reading

Weekly market & economic update: week ending 7 March, 2014

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Investment markets and key developments over the past week While tensions regarding Ukraine saw shares dip and safe haven assets like bonds and gold rally early in the week, this... Read more continue reading

Comment from Threadneedle Investments on the effect of the Ukraine crisis on global markets

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Commenting on the effect on global markets from the Ukraine crisis,Threadneedle Investments’ Chief Investment Officer Mark Burgess, said: “To date, the fallout from the Ukrainian crisis has been largely confined to the... Read more continue reading

RBA Governor promotes interest rate stability

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Reserve Bank Governor Testimony The Reserve Bank Governor has delivered testimony to the House of Representatives Economics Committee. The Governor has delivered his clearest statement yet that the economy is... Read more continue reading

Trade Balance – January 2014

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The January trade surplus surged to $1433mn, following a smaller December surplus of $591mn. Exports of goods and services rose by 3.7% over January while imports lifted by 0.8%.  Export... Read more continue reading

Australian economy picks up pace

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National accounts Another quarter of growth: The record-breaking economic expansion is in its 23rd year. The Australian economy grew by 0.8 per cent in the December quarter after a 0.6 per cent... Read more continue reading

Building approvals at record highs

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Dwelling approvals; Balance of Payments; Government Finance Dwelling approvals soar: Dwelling approvals rose by 6.8 per cent in January. Approvals are up 34.6 per cent over the year. Approvals rose to... Read more continue reading

Assessing risk: low probability, high impact events

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Risk is a word that generally tends to be thought of in a negative light. However, in the investment world risk is a necessary part of investing and cannot be... Read more continue reading