Last month we saw the FED raising rates for the 9th time in the last 3 years, now to 2.25-2.5% per annum. Also, this month, the FED might keep its Quantitative Tightening (QT) program to US$50 billion per month, in order to reduce its inflated balance sheet. Show More
Long dubbed ‘Woodstock for Capitalists’, or the Stockmarket Superbowl as we prefer, the recently held Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting offered plenty of insights for investors big and small. Show More
Despite the rising trade tensions and escalating geopolitical risk, gold has remained largely range bound in 2018, so far unable to break through and hold above USD $1360oz, yet strongly supported (for now) above USD $1305oz. Show More
Find out how Myer’s struggle to stay afloat, the far-reaching impact of self-driving cars, and Buffett hating Bitcoin could affect you and your investments. Show More
Beggars in China with QR codes hanging around their necks and others pleading with matrix-barcoded tins caused a stir when they appeared on Chinese city streets in the past year or two. Fellow Chinese shouldn’t have been surprised. These beggars are only keeping up with one of the most-rapid trends... Show More
Catch up on this week’s top stories around volatile markets, Apple’s cash plan, and cryptocurrency meltdowns. Plus what it all means for you and your investments. Show More
Just as the bitcoin emerged from the cyber haze in 2017, 2018 is emerging as the year of blockchain, the underlying technology supporting cryptocurrencies. Is blockchain another form of crypto craziness, or a more respectable iteration of bitcoin and its many cousins? Show More
Berkshire Hathaway Vice Chairman, Charlie Munger, is not known for his subtlety. In a recent conversation at the University of Michigan, Munger was true to style and has some fairly strong messages for cryptocurrency enthusiasts and novices alike. A transcription of his comments on Bitcoin is available below, or you... Show More
“Bitcoin has become one of the world’s hottest investments, a bubble inflated by social media, loose capital in search of the newest new thing”. You could be forgiven for thinking that this was written last week. In fact, it appeared in The Economist in April 2013. Bitcoin started that year... Show More
For the last three years, I’ve sat down with the results of the Livewire Reader Survey in January to analyse the data. With over 2700 responses, this year’s generated four times as many responses as last year, and now marks it as the largest survey of active investors in Australia. Show More
With a performance that is on track to 20-bag this year, there is little doubt it’s going to be a very Merry Christmas for Bitcoin enthusiasts, many of whom have made truly astonishing gains in 2017. Show More
Bitcoin has enjoyed an extraordinary surge in both value and public attention recently. The chart below maps the rise in the price of a Bitcoin in USD over the last few years, and a similar chart could probably be plotted for the number of column inches, the number of internet... Show More
A 1640% gain in a calendar year is not something you see very often, but that’s what Bitcoin holders have experienced so far in 2017. Jordan Eliseo, Chief Economist at ABC Bullion, called it “the best bull market in finance” when we sat down recently to record the latest episode... Show More
Bitcoin has just traded above $10,000 on Korean exchanges. Coindesk reports that: "On Bithumb – the region's largest exchange by trade volume – bitcoin is trading at roughly $10,052. On exchanges Coinone and Korbit, the cryptocurrency is trading at around 10,979,500 KRW ($10,108) and 10,960,500 KRW ($10,047), respectively." Show More
Type “Bitcoin is a Bubble” into Google and you’ll get 31,800,000 results, a clear indication of how many times people have, incorrectly so far, called a top in the price of the worlds most famous cryptocurrency. Show More
Precious metals prices have endured a difficult few weeks, after failing to push through USD $1350oz in early September. Continued strength in US equity markets, greater pricing in of an expected rate hike from the Fed, and a rally in the USD have all contributed to the weakness, as has... Show More
The explosion in money creation in China (and associated high credit intensity of GDP) has created a series of revolving bubbles around the economy. Here we look at where it is showing up. Show More
In this article we look at some of the more topical subjects influencing financial markets and analyse a few interesting charts. We start with rising rates – the message being delivered by the Federal Reserve’s Janet Yellen in uncharacteristic straightforward terms. Then we cast an eye over President Trump’s tax... Show More
The old saying that history doesn’t repeat but often rhymes sums up the fervour surrounding cryptocurrencies and blockchain. The media loves to write about something new and sexy and the financial media loves to write about those things as well, especially when they involve volatile asset prices. As cryptocurrencies and... Show More
Precious metal prices have been in full retreat the past few weeks, with the price of gold declining toward USD $1300oz. This pullback has had a number of drivers including an easing of the ‘safe haven’ bid as markets fade the rhetoric to do with Korea, the USD catching a... Show More
