Aussies unleash spending power
Aussies unleash spending power in record numbers Lending; Chinese inflation Home loans: The value of home loans fell by a record 11.6 per cent in May (consensus: -5.5 per cent) with owner-occupier loans down by 10.2 per cent and investor loans down by 15.6 per cent. Refinancing: A record $10.1 billion of owner occupier home…
Corporate Australia: Alert, not alarmed
Corporate Australia: Alert, not alarmed Economic & Financial Trends Corporate Australia & COVID-19: CommSec has assessed earnings announcements of 155 of Australia’s largest companies to gauge the reaction to this year’s COVID-19 crisis. While a third of companies withdrew earnings guidance, only 10 per cent deferred dividends and around 5 per cent of companies cancelled…
Saudi Arabia eyes total dominance in oil and gas
Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz claimed last week that the Kingdom will be the world’s biggest hydrocarbon producer “even” in 2050. “I can assure that Saudi Arabia will not only be the last producer, but Saudi Arabia will produce every molecule of hydrocarbon and it will put it to good use … It will…
Investor Signposts: Week Beginning 29 June 2020
Australia: A new financial year commences The 2020/21 financial year commences mid-week with a slew of ‘tier-1’ data releases, including figures on home prices, building approvals, international trade, job vacancies, retail trade and purchasing manager indexes. The week kicks off on Monday when the Bureau of Statistics (ABS) releases its latest weekly “Household Impacts of…
Three investing mindset errors that could be costing you money
In light of recent market volatility, we look at three mistakes investors commonly make that could be losing them money and suggest how to overcome them. The last few months have proven a tough time for most investors with market volatility continuing to wreak havoc in investment portfolios. In this article we examine three investing…
An Exclusive Interview with the CEO of Centrum Markets
This week we had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Theodorou – CEO of Centrum Markets, a fast-growing and fully Regulated STP Forex Broker and discuss the company, what led to its success, and its plans for the future. 1. What is the reason behind Centrum Markets creation, and what is your mission? Well,…
Travel exports hit 6½-year low
Travel exports hit 6½-year low; Record exports to US & China; Home building stimulus boost International trade; Government stimulus Foreign trade: The trade surplus eased to $8.8 billion in April (consensus: $7.5 billion surplus) from a record high of $10.4 billion in March (previously: $10.602 billion). The rolling annual surplus was a record high $76.1…
Oil prices up on production quota expectations
The market is reacting favourably to expectations OPEC + will extend its May/June agreed-upon production quotas for further two months at its upcoming virtual meeting. The short extension of the deepest initial phase of the production cut agreement maintains a reduction at 9.7 mb/d will assure markets rebalance in Q2 and simultaneously boost oil prices….
Agriculture a cyclical investment opportunity
Agriculture as a sector is largely uncorrelated to, and unaffected by, COVID-19. There have been other pressures, notably the severe drought on Australia’s east coast. As many companies started to feel the impact of the drought, the share prices fell to levels well below our assessment of fair value. For cyclical sectors, such as agriculture,…
Thinking straight in a troubled economy
As markets rally in the face of deep uncertainty, while central banks prop up asset values in the name of maintaining liquidity, straight thinking has become rarer than ever. Fortunately, there are still attractive investments for those willing to stay disciplined and seek out enduring value. ‘Think straight, talk straight’: the motto of Arthur Andersen….
