Natural Gas – will it break Europe’s economy?

16/09/2022 by John Bolsover

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

Inflation may not dissipate as quickly as markets expect

16/08/2022 by John Bolsover

It has been a pretty good period for equities over the last six weeks or so, with the NZX up 9% since the start of July, matching similar stories in Australia and the US. Last week stocks picked-up on headline news that in the United States the consumer price index rose at a slower pace … Read more

The Wellington region – A tale of two million-dollar cities

18/10/202118/10/2021 by John Bolsover

A tale of two million-dollar cities The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) recently released their property market report for the month of September 2021. The median house price in the Wellington region increased by 13.7% over the year to $845,000. This was slightly lower than the August median price and is part of … Read more

Restrictions had little impact on property prices in September

01/11/202118/10/2021 by John Bolsover

COVID-19 restrictions had little impact on property prices in September The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) recently released their property market report for the month of September 2021. The data continues to reflect a tight market in which demand is still strong, amidst a pick-up in activity in those areas where lockdown restrictions … Read more

Expect to see further downward pressure on bank lending rates

20/07/202111/11/2020 by John Bolsover

A number of factors suggest that the Reserve Bank is backing away from further cuts in the Official Cash Rate next year, as had been previously foreshadowed. This doesn’t mean that bank lending rates are on hold, rather the Reserve Bank is putting more reliance on another transmission mechanism – the new Funding for Lending … Read more

Low inflation behind a more generalised theme of low interest rates

20/07/202118/05/2020 by John Bolsover

Low inflation has been behind a more generalised theme of low interest rates in recent years. More immediately, the desire of central banks around the world to provide support through low interest rates has also played a significant role, particularly as the Covid-19 outbreak has taken hold. This was evidenced by the RBNZ slashing it’s … Read more