Frank Jasper, Chief Investment Officer
3rd September 2018
Carrot or stick? Inspire or scare? I have always been a fan of the positive. So when retirement comes to mind, it’s mental images of relaxing tropical islands, steaming bowls of pasta after days spent on the Italian ski slopes and new cars. That is not the reality for most of us. In fact it couldn’t be further […]
“These are bullets, cannonballs and missiles of an economic war waged against our country” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.
Market Commentary
The S&P500 was up over August, delivering its fifth consecutive monthly gain. Equity valuations in developed markets – particularly the US- remain high, yet stock prices continue to rise. We maintain a defensive approach to our investing, […]
Annual reports for the financial year ended 30 June 2018 are now available.
31st August 2018
Market Commentary
August was reporting season for many listed companies across New Zealand and Australia. Overall, results were in line with expectations and outlook statements were slightly soft. Against this backdrop, the Australian market rose 1.4% and the New Zealand market rose a remarkable 4.4%. Based on that return (the best performance in a reporting season for 18 years), anyone would think […]
10th September 2018
Key developments
It was a strong month for absolute returns in New Zealand asset classes in August, with the NZX50 sharemarket index rising around 4.4% and the NZ Government bond index generating a return above 1.2%.This strong performance of financial markets sat in sharp contrast to the continued weakness of New Zealand business confidence, which is shaping the political and policy-making environment.
The Fund rose 2.7% in August, trailing global markets for the month (3.6%). Global markets were up 0.6% in USD terms, with a significant fall in the Australian dollar providing the difference.
Despite continuing uncertainty surrounding trade wars, a strong US earnings season supported a rally in the US (+3.1%), and Tech stocks bounced globally. In contrast, cyclical regions (Emerging Markets and Asia Pac ex-Japan) and old world cyclical sectors […]
23rd August 2018
Smartshares surpasses $3 billion in funds under management
Smartshares, which manages New Zealand’s range of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and the SuperLife KiwiSaver scheme, has surpassed $3 billion funds under management (FUM).
This is significant milestone for Smartshares having added an additional $1 billion in retail FUM growth in just over 2 years.
Global listed infrastructure team update.
Below is a link to the announcement from Head of Global Listed Infrastructure, Giuseppe Corona, about some changes to AMP Capital’s Global Listed Infrastructure team.
“We are pleased to advise that Michel Debs has been appointed as portfolio manager/analyst in our London office. Michel will be responsible for the utilities infrastructure sector across Europe and Asia, and his valuable knowledge and skills further boosts AMP Capital’s strong global listed infrastructure capability.
The team are […]
August Monthly Update
Reporting Season
The recent reporting season in New Zealand provided investors with plenty of food for thought. While the reporting season was mildly positive (over half of our local stocks reported earnings that slightly exceeded analyst expectations), the market moved up by a remarkable 4.4% to record its monthly best performance in 18 years ….