May saw financial markets navigate a mixed backdrop, with resilient risk appetite alongside renewed macroeconomic uncertainty. Global equity markets continued to push higher, with several regions reaching fresh record levels. Gains were supported by a rebound in large‑cap technology stocks, as investor enthusiasm around artificial intelligence re‑accelerated, alongside generally solid corporate earnings that reinforced confidence in the earnings outlook.
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Inter-generational wealth transfers regularly go awry due to poor communication between family members. This guide is designed to help you have constructive conversations with your family about wealth, responsibility and legacy.
February saw mixed performances across international equity markets. Japan was particularly strong, with the Nikkei 225 Index up over 10%, supported by improving confidence, policy clarity and ongoing corporate reforms. US markets were more challenging, with the S&P 500 Index down 1% as investors reacted to AI-related disruption concerns and a US Supreme Court ruling that some of the Trump-era tariffs were unlawful.
Now, after the New Zealand Labour Party stormed to a comprehensive victory in October, the political focus turns to the US for the 2020 presidential election. The election will dominate the month, with ensuing policy measures still on the table – most notably related to the pandemic. While the election is front and centre, there is still plenty to keep an eye on this November. And with this in mind, here’s ANZ’s Month Ahead.
It’s become a cliché to talk about 2020 as a year of unprecedented change – but in many areas it may also have ushered in the start of a ‘new normal’. Super-low interest rates, and an accelerated shift to online services in many aspects of our daily lives, are just two aspects that look like they’re here to stay, for the foreseeable future at least. In this issue we look at the implications of some of these trends, as well as our usual review of local and global markets.
In the midst of all this change, however, our focus remains firmly on helping our clients succeed. In this issue we profile one of our clients who has had incredible success on the world stage, and who continues to make a contribution to New Zealand – Sir Bob Charles.
Equity markets continued to post solid gains throughout August, with indices in the US making new record highs. The S&P 500 rose above 3400 for the first time, eclipsing its mid-February high, while tech stocks continued to march on, with the NASDAQ 100 also making a new all-time high. Down under, New Zealand equities slightly underperformed most global indices as the reemergence of COVID-19 dampened investor optimism.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the New Zealand economy has been enormous – and managing that impact has required some unprecedented measures. One of those has been the Reserve Bank’s quantitative easing programme. While quantitative easing has been widely used overseas, it is a new approach for New Zealand. Our layman’s guide to quantitative easing in this issue explains how it will work in practice, and what it means.
As we head into June, we will be paying close attention to the global employment situation as the number of people out of work begins to add to the strain on the global economy. Furthermore, heightening geopolitical tensions and growth data are some of the key areas on the radar this month. With this in mind, here’s ANZ Investments Month Ahead for June.
There’s plenty to be worried about at the moment, and financial stability concerns have been a core part of the RBNZ’s policy response to COVID-19. In the Financial Stability Report, the RBNZ highlighted the resilience of the New Zealand banking system and its role in supporting the economy. But risks abound, and job losses and loan losses are unfortunately inevitable.
We are now around two months since major stock indices in the US and down under reached all- time highs. What has happened since then doesn’t need too much revisiting: more than 1 million COVID-19 (coronavirus) cases, coming up 80,000 deaths across more than 200 countries. The coronavirus, ostensibly, brought the global economy to a near standstill.
Global equity markets had a volatile start to 2020, as fears of the coronavirus outbreak caused an uptick in market volatility. January got off to a good start with indices in the US, Australia and New Zealand making new all-time highs, but concerns around the virus saw most benchmarks give back some gains.
