Market & Portfolio Update - March 2019
Market & Portfolio Update - March 2019
Global share markets had another positive month and have had one of the fastest starts to the year since the 1990’s, rising over 10% since the start of January.
More broadly, the global economy’s growth continues to moderate in pace, and this has led to falling long-term interest rates. Nevertheless, there have been some positive noises of a resolution between the United States & China on their trade disputes.
However, it was the NZ share market that stole the show, rising 6% in March, and 12% so far in 2019. Shares in more income-oriented companies (like the electricity generators that make up almost 20% of the market) have received a lot of support from the lower interest rate outlook, with expectations of at least one OCR cut in 2019.
Encouragingly, falling interest rates are usually supportive for companies and consumers alike. Companies that are looking to grow their business can get access to better funding, while falling mortgage rates are likely to provide some support to the slowing NZ housing market.
Disclaimer: This article has been prepared for the purpose of providing general information, without taking into consideration any particular investor’s objectives, financial situation or needs. Any opinions contained in it are held as at the report date and are subject to change without notice. This document is solely for the use of the party to whom it is provided.
Market & Portfolio Update - April 2022
Global share markets continued their choppy start to 2022 during April.For New Zealand based investors, a fall in the NZ dollar played an important role in helping offset the volatility global share markets experienced. The NZ dollar fell against most major currencies supporting the returns of unhedged overseas assets (assets that are free to move with exchange rates). As a result, ‘unhedged’ overseas investments fell by only 1.8% for NZ based investors.
The KiwiSaver Gender Divide – Why are women saving less and what can be done to combat this?
Recent data shows that, on average, women have 20% less in their KiwiSavers than men. The gap being at its largest between men and women in their 40s and 50s. There are a few factors that come into play causing this divide and although it will take years to achieve equality, there are ways in which we can be proactive to help close the gap. As of August 2021, the gender pay gap is at 9.1% in New Zealand, a decrease of about 0.4% from 2020’s stats.