Market & Portfolio Update - October 2020
New Zealand shares were up over October with electricity generators bouncing back after the Government suggested more support around the Tiwai Aluminium Smelter, which consumes 30% of electricity in NZ.
Australian shares were down a touch over the month as tensions with China escalated further which has been an ongoing back and forth between the two countries over the past three years.
Global bonds were down (yields rose) through October as calls for more fiscal stimulus gained traction putting upward pressure on yields with the prospect of more government bond supply to come. We remain a little cautious on the outlook for rising interest rates, and have recently increased our allocation to inflation linked bonds to provide a degree of protection against a potential rise in inflation as economic growth gradually picks up.
Market & Portfolio Update - April 2025
Global markets began April with some volatility as investors digested “Liberation Day” tariffs announced by the Trump administration. In particular, investors feared a tariff war would lead to higher inflation, lower global growth, and the potential erosion of the historic ‘safe haven’ status enjoyed by the US dollar. However, the markets recovered a significant portion of these losses following the announcement that all reciprocal tariffs except China’s would be delayed for 90 days. Due to the volatility, global markets were down -3.8% for the month.
Staying Cyber Smart
At Lifetime, looking after your financial wellbeing includes helping you stay safe online. Lately, we’ve seen an increase in online scam attempts across the financial sector here in New Zealand, so we thought this was a good time to share a few friendly reminders on how you can stay protected.