Australia’s inflation rate is about to go monthly
Australia’s consumer price index is about to go monthly, meaning Australia will join most of the developed world in getting an update on inflation at the end of every month, instead of once every three months as at present. Until now Australia has been the only member of the Group of 20 leading industrial nations…
Big US Stocks Q2 Fundamentals
The fundamentals of the gigantic American companies dominating the major indices are more important than ever. The US stock markets plunged into a bear market last quarter, hammered lower by the Fed’s extreme tightening. That along with raging inflation also slammed the US economy into a recession. So how big US stocks are faring as…
Fixed income returns to the winner’s podium
The good news is fixed income assets posted strongly positive returns in July. The bad news is why. Central banks’ aggressive tightening of monetary policy to fight inflation is raising concerns of a material slowdown in growth, with recession an increasing possibility, The global economy is in the midst of a marked slowing, and recessionary…
Nuclear energy is a promising solution for climate change
But the clean-energy option will forever risk a catastrophe. (Reading time: 4 mins) Fukushima, on the northeast of Japan’s largest island, is vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis. From 1971, the area hosted the Daiichi nuclear plant. Based on global appraisals of tsunamis, the facility was built 10 metres above sea level. The commercial plant and…
Vanadium Energy Storage Batteries for the Long Term
On 28 September of 2016, tornadoes raging through South Australia did enough damage to the electricity transmission grid there to plunge the entire state into darkness, with only offshore Kangaroo Island being spared . When it was over, estimates claimed the blackout cost businesses $360 million dollars. The blackout lasted from four hours to two…
What next for climate change?
With just over 100 days to go until the UN climate summit, we kick off our running blog with a COP26 recap and a look at what’s next. The United Nations’ climate conference COP27 is set to take place in Egypt this November. Lisa Sizeland in Schroders’ global content team has summarised what COP27 is…
Gold stocks displaying strong seasonality
The gold miners’ stocks have been thrashed in recent months, crushed as heavy futures selling slammed gold. That obliterated any residual sector bullishness, leaving gold stocks wildly-oversold and deeply-out-of-favor. But having weathered a rough early summer, the battered miners and their metal are trudging back into their traditional strong season. That begins with robust autumn…
Demystifying long and short funds
Long/short funds are a type of fund that aims to maximize the upside of markets, while limiting the downside risks. To do this, these funds take both long and short positions in investment positions, often from a specific market segment. Here we look at long / short funds in more detail, specifically how fund managers…
What is Happening to “Doctor Copper?”
While copper is not typically the primary metal used in industrial and commercial applications, its status as a “must have” component of a staggering amount of goods produced to propel the economy, the metal has earned the accolade of “Doctor Copper.” Investors around the world view high demand for copper as an indicator of the…
What are companies telling us about recession risks?
Inflation is a concern for companies, so too recession. Indeed, the last time managements were talking this much about recession – they were in one. There was an unprecedented amount of inflation talk among US companies at the end of 2021. Inflation is still frequently mentioned in corporate discussions along with wages and supply chains….
