There are several important economic releases to monitor this week, including US retail sales and Chinese activity indicators for April. On the central bank front, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is speaking on Friday and the minutes from the most recent Reserve Bank of Australia meeting will be of interest across the Tasman. Here in New Zealand, the highlight of the week will be Budget 2023 on Thursday afternoon. For share investors there will be plenty to watch. Here in New Zealand Serko, ...
May 13, 2023•23 min
We got some fresh unemployment figures last week, for both New Zealand and the US. In both cases, the upshot was that the labour market is still extremely tight and wages are still rising solidly, albeit at a slower pace. Against that backdrop, it’s hard to believe a recession might be on the doorstep of either country. Things can’t be that bad when everyone has a job and the labour market is still ticking over nicely, can they?
May 09, 2023•19 min
Banking sector woes, worries about the US debt ceiling and a string of interest rate hikes from the world's central banks are keeping markets nervous at the moment. Over the coming week we've got the Australian budget, a crucial inflation report out of the US, and more international earnings releases as the reporting season winds down. Find out what all this means for investors, and what you need to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
May 07, 2023•25 min
If you’re lucky enough to have a bit of surplus cash at the moment, it’s a difficult time to think about putting it to work. You want your hard-earned capital to work productively, but it’s scary to think about venturing into financial markets (or any asset class, for that matter) with your savings. Jumping in boots and all could be unwise, while sitting back and waiting for perfect conditions to emerge can also backfire. In this episode, we'll discuss some of these challenges and talk about str...
May 02, 2023•15 min
The month of April proved to be another strong one for equity markets across the world, ensuring that the run of good returns investors have enjoyed since late 2022 continued. However, we are entering a period that is typically more challenging. Looking to the week ahead, there is plenty to keep investors busy. This week, we’ll be watching central bank decisions in Australia, Europe and the US, with the latter set to be the key event. Some important economic releases are due, while the internati...
Apr 30, 2023•25 min
The eagerly awaited Inland Revenue tax research report was released on Wednesday. Revenue Minister David Parker has suggested this provides evidence the super-wealthy are paying much lower tax rates than many ordinary New Zealanders. It's not quite as simple as that, and we don’t yet know how the Government proposes closing this gap (if it does at all), but tax policy looks set to be a key battleground in the lead-up to the election in October. Watch this space.
Apr 27, 2023•18 min
In this week's podcast Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses New Zealand's lower than expected inflation in the March quarter and what it means for investors. He also previews a busy five days ahead, which will see the release of business confidence and an important tax report locally, as well as GDP figures out of the US and a plethora of earnings releases from some international heavyweights.
Apr 22, 2023•25 min
In this podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, will explain the difference between nominal returns and real returns and why investors need to be mindful of the differences when looking to grow their capital over the long term.
Apr 18, 2023•17 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how global sharemarkets have staged a strong rebound of late. Despite a lot of volatility this year, the first three months of 2023 have been very lucrative for investors that have held their nerve. There’s plenty to watch in the days ahead, with the Reserve Bank likely to be a local high. While another hike in the Official Cash Rate is all but assured, we’ll be looking for clues as to what the Reserve Bank will do next....
Apr 02, 2023•19 min
In this podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how it’s been a difficult ride for all investors, but particularly those who are relatively new to investing. Their experience will have been punctuated by a slow, depressing decline in asset prices, which almost certainly feel disconcerting. That’s due to unfortunate timing, but there are a few things newer investors should keep in mind to they stay on course.
Mar 29, 2023•18 min
In this podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how the last couple of weeks have been extremely volatile. Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse may not be the last casualties of the sharp rise in interest rates, but there could be a silver lining in all this for investors.
Mar 27, 2023•20 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how stability returned to global sharemarkets last week, as fears of a banking crisis subsided and the end of the central bank monetary policy tightening cycle drew nearer. Looking ahead, this is the final trading week of the March quarter, and investors will be keeping a close eye on an important inflation release in the US, as well as New Zealand business confidence.
Mar 26, 2023•20 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank roiled markets and the risk of contagion has reverberated through other parts of the global banking sector. We also saw evidence of cooling US inflation and a weaker than expected GDP report here in New Zealand. Looking ahead, the US Federal Reserve has a tough call to make this week as it decides whether to increase interest rates further against a backdrop of such volatility.
Mar 19, 2023•22 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how it was a rough week for global markets, with some strong words from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and then the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (a leader to tech start-ups in the US) denting sentiment. We discuss what this means for the outlook, and look ahead to the latest US inflation figures and the New Zealand GDP report in the days ahead.
Mar 11, 2023•19 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how it was another action packed-week across financial markets, with the S&P 500 breaking a three-week losing streak and the US 10-year Treasury yield pushing back over 4%. The reporting season might be over, but there’s plenty to keep investors busy in the day ahead, including central bank decisions in Australia, Canada and Japan, the latest dairy auction results, and a crucial US jobs report which will set the tone for t...
Mar 05, 2023•24 min
In this podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how February was a busy month for financial markets, both offshore and here in New Zealand. After starting the year on a high, we saw some caution creep in and many markets finished the month in negative territory. Let's recap the key events of the month, what they mean for the outlook, and consider some of the things we need to keep an eye on heading into March.
Mar 01, 2023•18 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how world sharemarkets were down, after a hotter than expected inflation report in the US. We also had another hike in the OCR, and many more earnings releases from a range of New Zealand companies. There’s plenty more coming up this week, so tune in to find out what you need to keep an eye on in the days ahead.
Feb 26, 2023•28 min
In this mid-week podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how you’ll often hear us talking about “the market”, and whether it has moved up, down or sideways. What we’re really referring to are sharemarket indices like the NZX 50 in New Zealand, the S&P 500 in the US or the FTSE 100 in the UK. In this podcast episode we’ll explain what an index is, why some have performed better than others recently, and what investors need to be aware of when using ETFs or other similar s...
Feb 21, 2023•18 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how a busy week looms, with the Reserve Bank set to announce its latest interest rate decision, and a landslide of earnings reports from across New Zealand and Australia due to be released.
Feb 19, 2023•17 min
In this podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how the Reserve Bank will release its latest interest rate decision on Wednesday, and another big hike in the Official Cash Rate is expected. However, with a few positive signs emerging on the inflation front, can we expect them to hit the pause button soon? Find out what this means for borrowers, how the recent weather might impact the economy and what the Reserve Bank might do next.
Feb 15, 2023•21 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how lots is going on across financial markets, especially when it comes to corporate earnings releases. The reporting season kicks off with some of the local heavyweights in the days ahead, including Contact Energy, Fletcher Building and Sky City.
Feb 12, 2023•22 min
In this mid-week podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how interest rates are proving problematic for over-leveraged borrowers while being a headwind for the economy and asset prices. For conservative savers, however, the investment landscape and prospective returns haven’t looked this good in years.
Feb 07, 2023•15 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how last week was an eventful one, with sharemarkets rising further on the back of some key central bank announcements. Find out what this means for you and what you need to watch in the days ahead, including a speech from Fed Chair Jerome Powell and some high-profile earnings releases.
Feb 05, 2023•22 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how it’s been a strong start to the year for many asset classes, including shares and fixed income. However, there are some crucial economic releases and central bank meetings coming up this week that could determine whether the optimism continues. Find out what to expect and what you need to know for the week ahead right here.
Jan 29, 2023•23 min
In this mid-week podcast episode, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses how there hasn't been any let-up in the rising cost of living, with yesterday's inflation figures showing no change to the annual inflation rate of 7.2%, which is very close to a 32-year high. However, there was some good news amongst the detail that might signal a turning point. Find out what this means for the Reserve Bank’s next move, the economic outlook and the investment landscape for the balance of the year....
Jan 25, 2023•19 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses sharemarkets have started 2023 in good spirits with all major indices posting solid gains in January. There’s plenty going on this week as well, including New Zealand's latest inflation report and earnings releases from global heavyweights like 3M, Johnson & Johnson, Microsoft, Visa, Boeing and Tesla.
Jan 22, 2023•20 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director, discusses six of the most common questions that many of us will ponder now that we've closed the book on 2022. Where might the housing market go from here, will the cost of living pressures ease, is a recession inevitable, and have sharemarkets passed the bottom already?
Jan 16, 2023•25 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director discusses markets taking a breather last week and retreating slightly after a strong run through October and November. This week is a massive one for economic releases, central bank decisions and politics. We’ve got the latest inflation figures out of the US, as well as interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve and its counterparts in Europe and the UK. Here in New Zealand, we’ll get the Budget Policy Statement and the latest u...
Dec 11, 2022•21 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director discusses another very strong week for markets, as we enter the home stretch. We discuss why investors are feeling more upbeat, what’s driving the rebound in sharemarkets and the NZ dollar, and whether this is sustainable or not. We also look ahead to another week of economic releases and company results, and share our thoughts on what investors should look out for over the coming days.
Dec 04, 2022•21 min
In our podcast this week, Mark Lister, Investment Director discusses last week’s monster OCR hike, some tough talk from the Reserve Bank, a business confidence survey and the latest earnings release from market heavyweight Fisher & Paykel Healthcare.
Nov 27, 2022•23 min
