The first day back on the desk following the Easter break and the market roared up through 6300 today on the back of some marginally positive leads overseas however the buying into the close on stock option expiry (a Wednesday due to ANZAC day on Thursday) implies that... Show More
January 1996. My wife was 8 months pregnant with our first child. I was a proprietary trader at Bankers Trust (had been since 1991), meaning I took macro views on interest rates and currencies. Indeed, very similar to what I do now, but with the bank’s capital rather than investors’... Show More
There’s no shortage of big-picture issues playing on investors' nerves right now. Macro and geopolitical forces have a firm grip on sentiment, and 2018 will be recorded as the year that delivered the highest percentage of negative returns across asset classes. For the third and final video in our 2019 Outlook... Show More
In Australia today, growth is forecast to be around 2.5%, commodity prices are stable, jobs are strong, and inflation is low and stable. But in the background, risks are rising, explains Chris Rands from Nikko Asset Management. “The biggest risk that’s sitting there is the house price situation... The flow-through effect... Show More
As 26th President of the USA, Teddy Roosevelt said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing…the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Last month - where we set course for the rest of 2018 with our strongest views - one of... Show More
In the AFR today I reveal that Australia's budget has shocked all analysts and credit rating agencies by moving into an official surplus for the first 11 months of the 2018 financial year---some $20 billion better than Treasurer Scott Morrison forecast in 2017---on 2 of the 3 key budget measures... Show More
Chinese steel consumption is the most significant variable in determining the iron ore price. China consumes over half of the world’s iron ore each year. As such, and while supply themes play a role, cycles of Chinese credit growth and housing activity are the key factors in determining iron ore... Show More
September 27th, 1983. What comes to mind? What if I include the quote from Bob Hawke? “Any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum”. If you are over 45, you will know straight away. It was the day the yacht Australia II won the... Show More
This will be short and likely controversial. There’s a lot of vitriol about dividend imputation these days. Much of it is misguided. However widely practised around the globe, double taxation of corporate earnings is unfair. Most countries acknowledge that fact indirectly by having low tax rates on dividends. Our dividend... Show More
While recent headlines have focused on the OECD’s passing comments on housing-debt risks in their recent 47-pager on Australia, the real meat and spuds in this great report is the analysis on, and recommendations for, Australia’s slipping productivity, innovation and inequality. We’ve pulled out some of the highlights and key... Show More
