Market Maker

As we approach May, a lot of questions are being asked on whether global central bank intervention is actually, effective….

Good Morning, happy Friday….Well, once again, it hasn’t been a great week on markets… US stocks “sank” (Dow Jones -177 points) amid uncertainty that recent policy intervention from global central banks is doing nothing to drive growth… Well… This is a worry, right? What should I be doing right about now?

Good morning. So Malcolm tells the banks to “get their act together”, but the question is, will they listen? Weakening credit growth, flat earnings and a huge exposure to the mining services and energy sectors, won’t help the bad and doubtful debt cycle… but is this a turning point? Should investors be buying the banks right now? Not just yet….

Good morning. We are calling a top in the US market short-term as global growth falters… tighten your stops, lock profits and even take some short positons… the JPY is strengthening.. gold is strengthening,.. IMF has called for weak growth… we see downside risk short-term, especially as we head into May… not the best of news on this Wednesday morning…

Good Morning, today is D-Day…No, we’re not talking about Terminator 2….We are talking about our good old friend, Glenn Stevens and whether like Yellen, he listens to us here at PEAK and cuts interest rates… Today… We certainly need it… Retail Sales released yesterday showed no growth in spending… Inflation is not an issue and is at the lower end of estimates…

Good morning. This week we have a large amount of data in AUS, which will give us some great insight into what is actually happening on the macro-economic front… Retail sales, RBA interest rate decision tomorrow, followed by inflation…. We feel that the RBA must cut interest rates and ensure that it follows the lead of the “big boys” such as japan, Europe and US and stimulate our economy… We need all the help we can get right now… so tomorrow, marks as an important day.

A “pinch” and a punch”, yes it is April 1 and don’t be fooled this morning…. New tax cuts? A promotion? Markets rallying the most in ten years… what we do know, that it is Friday and we are looking forward to the weekend. So the question is: will markets rally in April and what the catalysts will be?

The Standard & Poor's 500 Index climbed for a third day after yesterday posting the strongest increase in two weeks as Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen signalled officials will be cautious in raising rates due to heightened economic risks overseas. The dollar headed for its steepest monthly drop since 2010.

For the first time in a long time, Janet Yellen speaks… markets rally… is a new trend forming? Doubtful. Although interest rates in the US aren’t going to rise anytime soon, we are still cautious on global growth… Australian banks now down 8% in two trading days… really? There is an opportunity forming…

With Easter over, we are now turning our attention to macro-data and these will be the main driving points for this week… US employment and manufacturing will be “on-show” on Friday night and with Janet Yellen talking tomorrow night, things will certainly get interesting…. Banks will also be in focus, following ANZ’s admission that bad debts have risen…

So… tomorrow is good Friday and yes, we can sleep in… global markets look like they are getting a little bit “tired” and we need to ask ourselves whether the Easter bunny will bring us some chocolates to wake us up… the key question for markets now is “what are the catalyst” to drive us higher….?

Last night, another terrorist attack hit. This time in Brussels. Markets held up ok, while gold rallied on the back of a “flight to safety”… This Easter, spend some quality time with your family and friends as this is really important. Over $19 Billion of dividends will be returned to shareholders this week. Will this boost markets?

Good Morning. A bit of friendly “fire” this morning with Abbott questioning Turnbull’s stance to call an early election. Obama just last week has also thrown a few “cheap” shots at trump, as things “heat up”… so what impact will both have on markets?

Global markets continued to rally on Friday night, following yellen’s move to leave interest rates on hold for an extended period. We attended the Grand Prix on Saturday and although it certainly is a boost to the economy, we are glad it is over… This week, we have the chairman of Bega Cheese coming for a PEAKTV interview…. So keep an eye for this… happy Monday…

Global markets rallied last night, as the USD continued to fall and commodities rebounded. Emerging Markets rallied and Crude Oil hit $41.00/barrel, a level not seen for over 6 months… But is this just the beginning? Combined with a strong Feb Business Survey, we could now see a sustained rally back towards 5,500 level…. Happy Friday…

Good morning… Finally, Janet Yellen listens to us, sits on her hands and advises the market that US interest rates will only rise twice this year. Commodities Rally. USD Falls. Global Markets Jump… The only uncertainty now is what impact a Donald Trump presidential win would have on the AUS-US relationship… only time will tell…

Just when we thought that global markets are starting to stabilise, Citigroup has to come out and ruin the party… US Stocks held up well overnight, even with Citigroup’s remarks… But is the recent rally unjustified? It all comes down to the US dollar…

Good Morning from Beijing… I have spent the last four days here talking at the AUS-China Investment seminar across four cities with Partners of Hall Chadwick and Thomas Geer. It has been a “surreal” opportunity and after speaking with the locals about the economy, government policies and eating lots of local Chinese food, I can comfortably tell you that growth in China is definitely slowing…. But there is more to it…..

Yesterday’s 25% drop in Chinese export numbers really questioned the recent commodities price hike. BHP and RIO fell by 8.5% and 9.4% in London and Crude Oil weakened 3.4%, as uncertainty relating to supply cuts, hits the market. But is the recent 18% rally in iron ore simply a “blip”? Yes… for now…. 

The current correlation between crude oil and US stocks is ~91%, according to Bloomberg. This means that as oil moves higher, global stocks “should” rally… but what is the correlation between US stocks and inflation? The week that was….

It was a very good day yesterday for global markets as risk was certainly “back on” with a vengeance… commodities and banks led the rally, as AUS GDP surprised to the upside… the question to be asked is whether this trend will continue?

Global markets surged overnight as global central banks are on the verge of adding additional stimulus to the ailing economy. Will the RBA follow suit? Well… interest rates were left on hold yesterday, but it is Wesfarmers that is worried about competition…

Global stocks were hit once again in February, however, today is the 1st of March and we are coming out with a new outlook. The RBA will join other central banks and will cut interest rates today. This will provide “much-needed” stimulus for local growth… read more… 

Good Morning,Happy Leap Day…  Yes, it only happens one in four years and apparently women can propose on a leap year?