Australia’s unemployment rate now begins with a ‘3’
Early in the election campaign, on April 14, we learned that Australia’s unemployment rate had slipped below 4% in March, to 3.95% – the lowest rate in 48 years. But the Coalition was denied the bragging rights that would flow from an unemployment rate beginning with “3” because of a Bureau of Statistics convention of…
Tiny houses can help ease rental affordability
Rental housing in Australia is less affordable than ever before. It is no exaggeration to call the situation a crisis, with vacancy rates at record lows. But there are some relatively simple, easy-to-implement and cost-effective things that can be done to ease rental affordability pressures. These include relaxing planning restrictions on small and non-traditional houses,…
The great recalibration continues
Fixed income has cheapened dramatically, however with uncertainty elevated we expect additional risk premia to be built in before bonds become really appealing. As a result, we’re continuing to run cautious portfolio positions, monitoring (elusive as yet) signs of stability. Recalibration continues The dramatic recalibration of expectations regarding the future level of interest rates continues….
Superbugs are outsmarting antibiotics
A market failure means pharmaceutical companies are failing to address the threat. In 1938, Ernst Chain, a German-born biochemist working at Oxford University, found an article on penicillin written nine years earlier by UK bacteriologist Alexander Fleming. In 1928, by fluke, Fleming noticed a zone around an invading fungus on an agar plate in which…
What higher inflation means for Australians
Inflation in the US, UK and elsewhere has not been this high for decades. What does that mean for investors? American consumers are paying 8.5% more today for everyday goods than a year ago. That’s the highest rate of price increases in more than 40 years. In the UK, the year-on-year increase in prices is…
Why Gold Investment Is Surging
Gold investment demand is surging as traders increasingly comprehend this leading alternative asset’s amazing fundamental backdrop. The biggest inflation super-spike since the 1970s is relentlessly eroding purchasing power, while the bubble-valued US stock markets are rolling over into a long-overdue bear. So investors are flocking back to gold, driving its price higher enticing in more…
Philanthropy: The secret to enjoying your giving
Like chess, or golf, or computer games, philanthropy can seem daunting at first but like all slow-burning passions, it’s the layers and the depth of philanthropic giving that make it so rewarding and enjoyable. According to Jane Magor, National Manager, Philanthropy and Non Profit Services at Perpetual Private, these layers are ones that many individuals…
Would Australians buy electric cars?
Only 5,532 of the 101,233 new cars sold in Australia last month were all-electric. While that number is an improvement on previous months, it is tiny compared to the 25% to 85% of new cars sold that are all-electric in European nations such as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. A lot has been written…
Long-term tailwinds in play for renewables
The long-term case for renewables was already well-established before the war in Ukraine began due to the need to decarbonise the economy. The current pressure on Europe to break its dependency on Russian gas has only strengthened the long-term need for green infrastructure. The long-term case for renewables investing has been mounting in recent years…
The RBA has lost its patience on rates
It is coming up to 18 months since Australia’s Reserve Bank last cut its cash rate. And what it did then was merely a further cut, from an unprecedented low of 0.25% to a fresh unprecedented low of 0.10% Since it last changed the direction of rates (started cutting instead of hiking) it has been…
