Market & Portfolio Update - October 2022
October provided a much needed reprieve for global share markets, rising 7.2% (in local currency terms). The month saw a number of companies report their latest earnings numbers, which at a broad level, were better than expected.
The NZ share market ended the month up 2.5%. Performance of the listed travel-related companies was particularly strong, with Tourism Holdings and Auckland International Airport up 32% and 7%, respectively. During the month, both companies upgraded their profit guidance due to increased certainty on revenues and tourism numbers.
The latest data shows New Zealand’s annual inflation rate to the end of September was 7.2%. This was a slight moderation from 7.3% in June but remains well above the RBNZ’s 1-3% target. Market expectations are now for the RBNZ to progressively raise the OCR to around 5% by May next year (currently 3.5%).
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.