2025 turned out pretty good, but what about 2026 – still at the bliss point?

From

Key points The key themes for 2025 were: tariff turmoil; global resilience helped by AI enthusiasm; sticky inflation; lower rates; and lots of geopolitical noise. For the third year in... Read more continue reading

Weekly economic and market update – week ending 5 December, 2025

From

Investment markets and key developments Global shares saw modest gains over the last week, as the markets digested the rebound from November’s low but with optimism about a Fed rate... Read more continue reading

Weekly economic and market update – week ending 28 November, 2025

From

Investment markets and key developments Global shares rose over the last week as the US shares rebounded on the back of increased confidence that the Fed will cut rates next... Read more continue reading

Housing affordability at a record low – here’s four key ways to fix it

From

Key points With the latest surge in home prices relative to incomes housing affordability is at a new record low. This is adding to a slide in home ownership and... Read more continue reading

Share market wobbles – what are the negatives and positives?

From

Key points Rich valuations, AI bubble worries and uncertainty about central bank rate cuts are the main negatives for shares at present and could see recent falls extend further. Against... Read more continue reading

Weekly economic and market update – week ending 14 November, 2025

From

Investment markets and key developments Global shares mostly rose over the last week but had a messy ride. While US shares rose helped by the end of the Government shutdown... Read more continue reading

Ongoing tensions in the US, RBA decision and Bank of England meeting

From

Structural versus macro: flying (a little bit) blind The US government shutdown has made for a paucity of data with which to analyse how the US economy is evolving. That... Read more continue reading

CommSec State of the States: State and Territory Economic Performance Report, October 2025

From

Overall results How are Australia’s states and territories performing? Each quarter CommSec attempts to find out which state or territory is Australia’s economic leader. Now in its 17th year, the report also includes... Read more continue reading

The central bank circus: high wire acts?

From

There seems to be ongoing indications of “last mile” complications in getting inflation back to target in a number of “Anglo” economies. At the same time, labour markets are showing... Read more continue reading

Investment cycles – what are they and why you need to be aware of them

From

Key points Cyclical fluctuations are a key aspect of investment markets. Most are driven by economic developments but get magnified by swings in investor sentiment. Of particular importance are the... Read more continue reading