Market & Portfolio Update - September 2022

17 October 2022 by Lifetime in Market Update

Market & Portfolio Update - September 2022

September was another volatile month for global financial markets, as central banks reiterated how far they are willing to go to get inflation back to long-term target levels. For example, in the US, this caused interest rates on bonds to rise by around 0.70%, weighing on the returns of bond investments. Share markets were also volatile, as investors came to grips with higher interest rates and slowing economic growth.

While volatility like this can be unnerving for investors, financial markets experience these kinds of events from time to time.

The New Zealand dollar tends to fall during periods when financial markets are volatile, supporting the value of unhedged overseas investments. This is exactly what has happened this time, with the falling New Zealand dollar resulting in unhedged global share investments performing 15% better over the past 12 months than if the foreign currency was hedged or locked in.

preview image - Consilium Joins FirstCape: What It Means for Lifetime Clients

Consilium Joins FirstCape: What It Means for Lifetime Clients

You may have read recently that FirstCape, a major player in the New Zealand financial services sector, has agreed to acquire Consilium, the independent advisory services and platform provider that Lifetime partners with to manage client portfolios.


While headlines may signal a big change, for you as a Lifetime client, it’s important to know that when it comes to your investment portfolio, it’s business as usual.

20 May 2025 by Sam Walter
preview image - Market & Portfolio Update - April 2025

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.

13 May 2025 by Lifetime in Market Update