Oil prices soar: Sydney petrol prices hit record high
Oil prices soar: Sydney petrol prices hit record high Oil market update; Used car prices What happened? Last week, the Brent crude price jumped US$7.52 a barrel or 11.5 per cent to US$72.70 a barrel. And the US Nymex price added US$6.42 a barrel or 10.3 per cent to US$68.74 a barrel. It was the…
Why Coles and Woolworths are using robot warehouses
As lockdowns continue across Australia, many households are doing something they may not have considered just 18 months ago: ordering groceries online. Australia’s supermarket duopoly, Coles and Woolworths, have raced to implement new technology and transform labour arrangements to keep up with the e-grocery boom. Both are investing in “smart” warehousing and distribution systems with…
Lessons learned over the past 12 months
As we head into the new financial year, we feel really excited by the stocks and exposures we have in both the long and short book. However, if FY21 has taught us anything it is to keep an open mind and learn from where we got things wrong. After contributing 270bps of alpha for the…
The importance of reporting season
August is the month most publicly listed companies report their full-year earnings results. Savvy investors need to cut through the noise by focusing on how well expectations have matched up with reality. Here’s what you need to know about the share market’s ‘confession season’. What is reporting season? Throughout reporting season, publicly listed companies update…
Global growth weighted in favour of emerging markets
With emerging markets set to make up more than 62 per cent of world GDP by next year – up from 54 per cent – now is perhaps the time to seriously look at including an emerging market exchange traded fund in your portfolio. Rachel White, head of product management for Vanguard Australia, says there…
Consumer inflation expectations hit 26-month high 11:27 am
Consumer inflation expectations hit 26-month high Consumer confidence; CBA card spending data; CBA Household spending intentions What happened? The weekly ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence rating rose by 2.5 per cent – the most in 18 weeks – to 101.1 (long-run average since 1990 is 112.5). Sentiment is now back above the neutral level of 100….
Reserve Bank remains confident despite Delta
Reserve Bank remains confident despite Delta Reserve Bank Board meeting minutes; Overseas arrivals & departures What happened? The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) Board released the minutes of its August 3 meeting. The Board re-affirmed its decision to pare back bond purchases, noting that fiscal policy was more appropriate than monetary policy to provide temporary…
Lockdowns hit consumer confidence and home sales
Lockdowns hit consumer confidence and home sales Consumer confidence; Home sales What happened? The Westpac-Melbourne Institute Index of Consumer Sentiment fell by 4.4 per cent in August to an 11-month low 104.1. All five major components of the index fell. The biggest falls in sentiment were for para-professionals and tradies (-15.2 per cent), sales and…
Predicting the future: Astrologers or economists?
If you ask most people what economists do, they might tell you it has something to do with money. Or perhaps forecasting what the economy will look like a year from now. Most of the other comparisons would be less charitable. I’ve heard plenty that can’t be printed. The reality is very different. For example,…
What’s next for Chinese equities?
Shares in many Chinese companies sold off sharply in recent sessions, after the publication of harsher-than-expected regulations targeting education companies fuelled fears of deeper policy uncertainties across China’s corporate space. At first glance, the market’s shiver is understandable given the severity of regulatory measures that threaten to effectively bring a halt to private tutoring services…
