FinSec Post

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The past week saw mixed share markets. US shares were flat, with strong data offset by worries about a more hawkish US Federal Reserve (Fed) and tariffs on Chinese imports, Eurozone shares rose 1.4% as the European Central Bank (ECB) remained dovish and Italian risks receded a bit and Japanese shares rose 0.7% as the Bank of Japan remained dovish. Chinese shares were not helped by soft economic data and fell 0.7%. However, [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The past week saw share markets rebound as investors refocussed a bit away from the geopolitical soap operas back to favourable underlying global growth. This saw major share markets rebound, although Eurozone shares were constrained by ongoing weakness in Italian shares, and bond yields rise which was accentuated by indications that the ECB is getting closer to phasing out its bond buying program. Commodity prices also rose and this along with some better [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The past week saw financial markets dominated yet again by geopolitical developments with first the turmoil in Italy and then US trade announcements rattling share markets, but with good US payrolls and the formation of an Italian government helping boost US and Eurozone shares on Friday. For the week this left US shares up 0.5%, but Eurozone shares down 1.4%, Japanese and Chinese shares down 1.2% and Australian shares down 0.7%. While bond [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The past week has again seen geopolitical issues dominate with renewed trade worries out of the US, the cancellation of the North Korean summit and rising angst around the formation of a populist coalition government in Italy. Despite this US shares managed a slight rise but Eurozone, Japanese, Chinese and Australian shares fell. Bond yields continued to blow out in Italy but declined elsewhere helped by haven demand. Commodity prices were mixed with [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets were mixed last week with Japanese and Chinese shares up 0.8% and Australian shares up 0.5%, but Eurozone shares flat weighed down by a fall in Italian shares and US shares down 0.5% on the back of rising bond yields and geopolitical worries. Bond yields mostly rose led by strong data out of the US and the spread between Italian and German bonds widened as investors worried about a populist [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Global share markets rose over the last week helped by another Goldilocks combination of good economic data, strong profits and benign US inflation. This was despite the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal which pushed up oil prices. For the week, US shares rose 2.4%, Eurozone shares gained 0.7%, Japanese shares rose 1.3% and Chinese shares rose 4%. The positive global lead pushed Australian shares up by 0.9% despite weak retail sales [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Despite a 1.3% rally on Friday after another "Goldilocks" jobs report US shares fell 0.2% over the last week, but other share markets fared better over the week with Japanese shares flat, Eurozone shares up 0.9%, Chinese shares up 0.5% and Australian shares up 1.8%. Bond yields were flat to down. The oil price rose to its highest in 3 years as worries about the return of sanctions on Iran continue to build, [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week Shares were flat to up over the last week. Eurozone shares rose 0.5% and Japanese and Australian shares rose 1.4% whereas US shares were flat despite good earnings results and Chinese shares fell 0.1%. Despite a mid-week spike higher, bond yields were flat in the US, down slightly in Europe on some soft country GDP data and up slightly in Australia. The US dollar continued its recovery, and this weighed on commodity prices [...]

Investment markets and key developments over the past week The news flow was less dominated by politics this week and more by positive economic developments which gave share markets a boost. US shares were up by 0.5% (and have recovered around 4% from post-tariff March lows), Eurozone shares were 1.3% higher, Japanese equities lifted by 1.8%, Australian equities were 0.7% higher while Chinese stocks are 2.9% down over the week. Commodity prices have been surging recently, particularly for aluminium, nickel and oil. [...]