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2020 March Quarter Review
Read more: 2020 March Quarter ReviewEconomic Overview The spread of COVID-19 had a significant impact on global economies and investment markets in the March quarter. Rarely does any single issue wholly dominate economic and market data for a quarter. Yet COVID-19 arrived and wiped away focus on any other issue. Apart from the oil war, which itself was relegated to almost irrelevant, there was essentially no other theme that had an influence on shaping the quarter globally. In the US, confirmed cases of Covid-19 rose from 150 to over 100,000 between the first and last weeks of March. Jobless claims increased by over three million…
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The Bad News of Doing Something
Read more: The Bad News of Doing Something“Why do you include so many bad news stories?” It’s a question we’ve been asked, not regularly, but maybe it needs addressing. First off here’s a good news story. This is the growth of $10,000 over the past 25 years in five different asset classes. If you’ve been invested inside and outside of superannuation, you’ve had a decent bite of that. Even better news, all you had to do was open your mouth and the market spooned the returns right in. What’s better than that? That’s 25 years and despite the fact everyone should think in those timeframes, very few…
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Recent Market Volatility
Read more: Recent Market VolatilityAfter a period of relative calm in the markets, in recent days the increase in volatility in the stock market has resulted in renewed anxiety for many investors. From February 1–5, the US market (as measured by the Russell 3000 Index) fell almost 6% and in Australia, the S&P/ASX 300 Index fell almost 5% during the equivalent period.[1] This resulted in many investors wondering what the future holds and if they should make changes to their portfolios. While it may be difficult to remain calm during a substantial market decline, it is important to remember that volatility is a normal…
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2017 March Quarter Review
Read more: 2017 March Quarter ReviewEconomic Overview Global policy makers expressed a cautious welcome for continuing signs of improving activity during the March quarter. The Reserve Bank of Australia noted a pick-up in global trade and industrial production, alongside a tightening of labor markets. In the US, economic data continued to be supportive. Non-farm payrolls were robust and activity indicators buoyant. Manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) increased and the consumer confidence index rose to its highest level in 16 years. Reflecting the improving outlook for growth and inflation the Federal Reserve increased rates by 0.25% in March. Optimism over Donald Trump’s plans to cut taxes,…
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