Market & Portfolio Update – July 2019
Market & Portfolio Update – July 2019
Portfolio returns were solid again in July, led by global share markets rising 3%. While NZ Shares were flat in comparison, this follows our local market gaining 17% over the past year, having been in a “sweet spot” of offering higher dividend yields than the rest of the world along with reasonable economic growth.
The global economy grew at a solid 4% in the second quarter. Companies also continued to report positive earnings growth, despite the political posturing around tariffs and trade. Whilst we continue to keep a close eye on how far these might go, we remain confident that behind the headlines, the wider momentum in business earnings and economic confidence continues to underpin a positive current outlook.
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.
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.