Market & Portfolio Update - August 2020
Global share markets rose nearly 5% in August as investors continue to digest news about ongoing vaccine developments and look for returns in a low interest rate environment.
Australian shares rose over 3% as the Covid-19 outbreak in Victoria eased. This resulted in another month of overall positive returns for funds, even as some uncertainty remains for the general economic backdrop.
For our Booster clients, the portion of members' global shares investments managed by California-based Fisher Investments added value by outperforming the general return on global share markets. This came largely from Fisher’s allocation to technology companies, such as Apple and sales software provider Salesforce. These both benefited from sales being supported by global customers looking to technology solutions to help them and their businesses through the pandemic.
Market & Portfolio Update - August 2025
The global share market (represented by the MSCI World Gross Index) was up +2.6% in NZ dollar terms in August. All eyes were on the largest publicly traded company in the world, Nvidia, as the AI chip producer released their latest earnings report, which soundly beat investors’ expectations of sales and earnings.
Lifetime Book Club: Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending by Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton
“Money can't buy happiness – unless you know how to spend it.”
That’s the heart of Happy Money. This isn’t your usual guide to budgeting, saving, or investing. It’s a fascinating, research-driven look at how to turn spending into something that genuinely makes you feel good – not just for a moment, but in a meaningful, lasting way.