Australia’s Economy: Trade Surplus Hits A$11.03 Billion in January on Gold Export Surge
Australia’s economy started the year on a strong note as trade figures for January 2024 indicated a bounce in the surplus to A$11.03 billion, up from a slightly revised figure of A$10.74 billion in the previous month. The driving force behind this surge came from a 1.6% month-over-month increase in exports which tallied up to…
IC Markets Promotion Launch – Zero Brokerage Fee on Australian shares
IC Markets has recently announced an exciting development for investors interested in the Australian stock market, and Australian shares. The firm is introducing a zero brokerage fee promotion for investments in companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and Cboe (Chi-X). This initiative is part of the launch of IC Shares, a new service designed…
Last Rate Hike Cannot Save the USA
The US economy is in disarray. There is no other way to put it. It will not matter if this is the last Fed rate hike. Too much damage is already flowing through the system. Post the historic leap in the fiscal deficit for Covid, the Biden administration has actually expanded spending further even when…
All Eyes on the Fed’s Next Moves on Rates
A pessimistic mood permeated the markets ahead of the FOMC rate decision, with traders nervous that Jerome Powell might not be as dovish on the rate outlook as the market hoped. With a 25-basis point rise essentially baked into the cake at this point, market direction would move further south if the Fed signals that…
Glimmer of hope in US factory data; global tension rises
There was a glimmer of hope in US Factory numbers on Friday. This is according to the S&P500 Global PMI Index which rose to 50.4 in April. We are looking at flat at best overall activity in the sector, and at very modest levels. The New Sales component rose for the first time in six…
Tech Sector Earnings on the Radar of Traders
Earnings reports from the big names in the tech sector will be firmly on the radar of traders this week and are likely to be the key drivers of market direction, particularly with the Fed now entering its blackout period (ahead of the May FOMC meeting). So, in the absence of any new rhetoric on rates…
Evening Markets Report – 20th February 2023
The Australian sharemarket inched higher today, starting the week on a positive note after last week’s losses. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose by 5 points or 0.06 per cent to 7352 points, after a relatively flat trading session. In Australia on Monday, four out of the twelve industry sectors posted gains. Financials gained the most…
The Week Ahead – 17th February 2023
Aussie wages. US economic growth and inflation. All roads lead to inflation in the current environment. So the key indicator to watch is the coming week in Australia is the wage price index (WPI), a key influence on inflation. The report is slated for release on Wednesday. In the September quarter wages rose by 1…
Evening Markets Report – 17th February 2023
The ASX 200 fell by 63.6 pts or 0.86 per cent on Friday to 7346.8, taking the losses to ~1.1 per cent this week and dragging the index closer to Wednesday’s 4-week low. The enthusiasm that pushed the ASX 200 to near record highs earlier this month has clearly died down recently, not helped by…
Evening Markets Report – 16th February 2023
The Australian sharemarket rose on Thursday, bouncing off a 4-week low and doing enough to recoup most of the prior session’s declines. A surprisingly soft monthly update on employment encouraged buying; giving the Reserve Bank another reason to potentially slow the pace of rate hikes. The S&P/ASX 200 index rose by 58 points or 0.8…
