Kapiti Financial Advice Limited – KiwiSaver and Investment
In its Annual Economic Report, the Bank for International Settlements has highlighted four pressure points for the global economy. The Bank advised that financial markets have remained buoyant, despite recent challenges associated with conflict in the Middle East, reflecting expectations that the disruptions will be short-lived and that the AI boom will continue. In its … Read more
Global equity markets moved higher in September on better-than-expected US economic activity data, AI optimism, and a reduction in the US federal funds rate. Global bond markets benefited from the lower federal funds rate and longer-term interest rates fell on soft US employment data. The New Zealand sharemarket moved higher on improved investor sentiment as … Read more
Today’s Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion release has provided the first opportunity to gauge the sentiment of economists towards the present easing cycle in the wake of a challenging environment – uncertainty over the pace of easing in the US following signs of a resilient US labour market, the dilemma posed by President-elect Donald Trump’s … Read more
The Reserve Bank have lowered the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points today as expected. A lot of this was already priced-in by the wholesale markets, as the Reserve Bank observed in their accompanying Monetary Policy Statement. They noted that short-term wholesale rates have fallen since the August Statement, but long-term rates have increased. … Read more
A small correction in global share markets in October followed a dramatic rise in longer-term US interest rates. Global bond yields moved higher on better-than-expected US economic data and a focus on the growing size of America’s national debt. Stronger than forecast US economic data was one of the reasons why US longer-term interest rates … Read more
The RBNZ kept the OCR unchanged at 5.5%, as was universally expected. The focus of attention is whether the first cut will come in November, or whether the Bank will wait until February. The final review this year will be on the 27th November. The next review is not until 19th February 2025. So, there … Read more
Share Markets Global share markets rose 3.7% in May, reverting to their upward trend Favourable economic data in the US, UK and Europe, a successful US earnings season, and falling longer term interest rates supported the rise in global share markets. AI remains a key feature. Nvidia’s better than expected profit announcement provided a big … Read more
Reserve Bank expected to start cutting rates later this year Markets and economists are now expecting the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to start cutting its benchmark interest rate this year and wholesale interest rates have moved down in anticipation. Last week’s Consumers Price Index release supported the view that domestic-driven inflation pressures are easing, … Read more
This year should see a change in market dynamics as interest rate hikes slow and rates peak. Previous interest rate increases should start to gain traction in containing inflation. The hope is that the central bank will manage to achieve a soft landing for the economy. Even if we enter recession, markets tend to focus … Read more
This week NZ Funds published an article discussing Russia’s suspension of the Nord Stream 1 gas supply. Natural gas prices have reached extraordinary highs. As of 6 September, Dutch TTF Gas was up 365% on a year earlier, while UK Natural Gas was up 245%. Part of the solution has been increasing supplies of Liquefied … Read more