8th April 2022 A quarter of 2022 has passed us by in the blink of an eye, bringing a Federal Election with it. An event usually left for mid-year it was brought forward by a government looking to lay out its vision before a pivotal May vote. The headline grabber was cost-of-living relief in a budget centred around more spending [...]

25th March 2022 The undeniable theme for equity markets at present is 'energy and then all the rest'! Energy is one of two S&P 500 sectors showing a gain for 2022, up 37%—the benchmark as a whole is down around 5%—and home to more than half of the index's 25 best performers. As for 'the rest', equities remain weak in [...]

11th March 2022 The coverage of the war in Ukraine reminds us how lucky we are to live in Australia - 'Freedom and democracy'! Our political processes are far from ideal, but our democratic institutions and practices are praised for their robustness, functionality, and resilience. One of the very reasons Vladimir Putin wants to take over Ukraine is to remove [...]

25th February 2022 The Russia-Ukraine issue is dominating every newsfeed, with the disturbing escalation of events over the last 24 hours. As you will be all too aware yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ended weeks of speculation declaring war on Ukraine, claiming Russian self-defence as he sought to demilitarise and replace its leaders. As disturbing as these events are, they [...]

Welcome to 2022 The new year began much like the last two ended, in the grip of daily Covid updates. 2020 gave us Wuhan, the Ruby Princess, lockdowns and a new normal. Despite the hope for better in 2021, Delta proved the undoing of NSW and Victoria, and even with the vaccine rollout, Omicron is still making hay the [...]

Issue: 22nd December 2021 2021 Wrap up: Covid the sequel 2021 opened with the good news that Covid numbers were slowing and the promise of vaccines. We distracted ourselves with the traditional summer of cricket and the new year carried with it the hope of renewal and better times ahead. It was easy to believe that the worst was behind [...]

Issue: 10th December 2021 It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Decorations are out in force, trees adorn every office, and many Australians, newly out of lockdown, are out painting the town a festive shade of red. And while we have suffered through a touch of volatility over the past few weeks, December, as it has in previous years, [...]

Issue: 26th November 2021 This week President Joe Biden declared that he would re-nominate Jerome Powell as chairman of the US Federal Reserve (his current term expires in February). After what has been quite a drawn-out selection process, it is indeed encouraging that Mr Biden has, at last, made the obvious choice, opting for a 'steady pair of hands'. Many [...]