The question, in my view, isn’t what is affordable. It’s this: what price should we be willing to pay for long-term financial security?
The local market was buoyed to a significant 1 per cent gain for the week, following a strong day on Friday. The 0.7 per cent gain was driven by the energy and materials sector which gained 1.1 and 3.3 per cent respectively on news of a potential split of Mineral Resources (ASX:MIN). Rumours that the…
The Australian sharemarket surged in the afternoon, gaining more than 1.6 per cent after the Reserve Bank Governor flagged a more cautious approach to future rate rises. Every sector finished the day higher and significantly so with the technology sector gaining 2.8 per cent as bond yields fell. The top performers were Life360 (ASX:360), Megaport…
The Reserve Bank of Australia’s aggressive pursuit of a neutral interest rate policy setting has offered a challenging backdrop to the sharemarket this week, with the S&P/ASX200 falling 1.4 per cent on Wednesday. It wasn’t rates alone, however, with the oil price falling to levels not seen since January 2022 as concern grows about the…
After a positive start, the local market turned tail after the Reserve Bank board lifted the cash rate target by 50 basis points to 2.35 per cent, its highest level since December 2014, at its meeting yesterday. The central bank has now raised interest rates for five months in a row, in its most aggressive…
Energy powered the Australian market higher on Monday, with a 4 per cent rise in the S&P/ASX 200 Energy index at the heart of market sentiment, as oil, gas and coal prices rose. The energy action helped the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 advance 23.5 points, or 0.3 per cent, or to 6852.2, while the broader All…
The local market capped off the worst week in several months, falling another 0.3 per cent and taking the weekly loss to 3.9 per cent. On Friday it was the financial sector leading the way on hopes that the economy may remain strong, bounced 0.7 per cent, with the more defensive healthcare and real estate…
The local sharemarket continued its recent weakness, falling another 2 per cent for the first day of spring. Australia’s largest company, BHP (ASX:BHP) was the biggest detractor falling 7.6 per cent, or $3.09 cents as the stock went ex-dividend. This is a regularly forgotten impact of the payment of dividends, which totalled $2.56 plus franking credits, as…
The S&P/ASX200 almost turned around a sharply weaker start to trading on the final day of August, falling just 0.2 per cent on Wednesday. In a reverse of recent days, the energy sector was the biggest detractor after the European Union warned of a potential intervention in energy markets and China faces another COVID-19 outbreak….
Fee raises at the nation’s biggest super fund have raised questions about the benefits of scale. If Australian Super has to increase fees, what chance do smaller funds have?
