Market Update
Get prepared for June 30
Tax time is just around the corner, so now is the time to get ahead and find out what strategies may be available to you before 30 June. Time for a portfolio review A good first step is to review your investment strategy. With recent market volatility, things may have shifted and your risk tolerance…
Reform and resilience in uncertain times
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has framed the 2026 Federal Budget as “the most important and ambitious budget in decades”. “This Budget is about getting us through the global oil shock and taking pressure off Australians while building a stronger economy, better tax system, a more sustainable budget and lifting living standards,” the Treasurer told Parliament. With…
Position your portfolio for what’s next
A volatile geopolitical landscape, rapid technological shifts and evolving energy systems are helping to reshape investment returns. As we settle into 2026, the challenge for investors is in understanding and taking advantage of (or avoiding, if necessary) these global trends. The artificial intelligence boom has taken much of the oxygen in the market. The tech…
2025 Year in review: It was a soft landing for Australia
Many investors breathed a sigh of relief at having survived (and even thrived) the turbulent economic and political events of 2025. Super funds posted strong double-digit returns for the 2024-2025 financial year. Australia recorded modest economic growth, while inflation cooled a little throughout the year – albeit with a slight uptick at year’s end –…
Trump’s tariff announcement: Implications for Australian investors
There’s a well-known maxim in the markets: sell the rumor, buy the fact—a belief that market expectations can often be worse than reality. However, in the case of today’s US tariff announcement, the outcome was, unfortunately, more significant than anticipated, leading to increased volatility across global markets. Equities took a hit, and bond yields fluctuated….
Federal Budget 2025-26 Analysis
Treasurer aims to “rebuild living standards” Much of the 2025 Federal Budget was already known, after a volley of pre-election spruiking for votes. But Treasurer Jim Chalmers had one surprise up his sleeve – $17 billion in tax cuts. The first round of cuts will kick in on 1 July 2026 and second round on…
How political events affect the markets
From the economy bending policies of Trump 2.0 to the growing strength of the far right in Europe, the new alliance between Russia and the United States, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the US President’s vow to upturn world trade rules, the markets are certainly navigating tricky times. In recent months…
2024 Year in Review: Successfully navigating uncertain times
The many unpredictable events of 2024 could easily have been disastrous for investment markets. Instead, we saw remarkable resilience and growth despite occasional volatility as investors reacted to the extraordinary times. While economic growth in Australia and overseas was underwhelming, share markets rode out the ups and downs to finish 2024 strongly. Super funds benefitted…
Federal Budget 2024-25 Analysis
What does the Federal Budget mean for me? Treasurer Jim Chalmers has high hopes that his 2024 Federal Budget will rein in inflation earlier than expected, ease cost-of-living pressures and build a stronger economy in the future. It’s a Budget for the here and now, he says, but also for the decades to come. More…
How the Aussie dollar moves your investments
It has been a wild ride for the Australian dollar since the Covid-19 pandemic struck and that could mean good news or bad news for your investment portfolio. In March 2020 the Aussie dipped below US58 cents for the first time in a decade. Since then, a high of just over US77 cents in 2021…
How to manage rising interest rates
Rising interest rates are almost always portrayed as bad news, by the media and by politicians of all persuasions. But a rise in rates cuts both ways. Higher interest rates are a worry for people with home loans and borrowers generally. But they are good news for older Australians who depend on income from bank…
How to calm those market jitters
It’s been a rocky start to the year on world markets but that doesn’t mean you should hit the panic button. Staying the course is generally the best course, but that’s easier said than done when there’s a big market fall. In January markets plunged some 10 per cent but then staged a recovery. That…