Equity markets were reasonably quiet over April as investors became more sanguine about geopolitical issues with most global markets trending higher.
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Roadmap to a bear market
We recently reduced our recommendation for global equities to neutral reflecting rising risks around the political, macro and policy environment. We see this as a tactical change and have not changed our medium-term view that equity markets will continue to deliver good returns over the next 3-5 years.
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2018 Federal Budget Summary
Please click on the link below to view a summary of the 2018 Federal Budget.
Market Update – April 2018
Equity market volatility continued into March with most global markets ending weaker. The MSCI World ex Australia Index was down 2.3% (hedged), following February’s loss of 3.7%.
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US China trade war fears – Q & A
Much has been written about the trade dispute between the US and China and the risk of a global trade war. Much of it has been hyperbole but financial markets have had to price in the risks of a full-blown trade war zapping global growth.
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Chinese reform 2.0
China is entering a new phase of reform with a key focus on improving financial stability and reducing government debt. Measures that have already been announced include banning state-owned banks from lending to local governments and the cancellation of some major projects.
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Market Update – March 2018
Equities had a volatile month, but most global markets ended weaker in February with the MSCI World ex Australia Index down 3.7% (hedged), following January’s gain of 3.8%.
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Share market volatility – Trump and trade war risks
After the calm of 2017, 2018 is proving to be anything but with shares falling in February on worries about US inflation, only to rebound and then fall again with markets back to or below their February low, notwithstanding a nice US bounce overnight.
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Spring clean in Fall
The past few years have seen the best combination of factors for markets: improving economies, easy policy settings, low inflation and strong earnings. However, the major improvement in global growth may now be over and synchronised recovery may now give way to a more diverse range of outcomes.
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Market Update – February 2018
Equities continued their strong rally into January with the MSCI World ex Australia Index (hedged) up 3.8%, following December’s gain of 1.1%, however the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.5%. This brought annual returns for the respective indices to 22.9% and 12.2%.
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