On Point

It's a big week ahead, with the Reserve Bank expected to hike the OCR again, as well as monetary policy decisions in the US, Europe and Japan. Earnings will also be in focus, with close to 180 S&P 500 companies due to report. We'll hear from Alphabet and Microsoft on Wednesday, as well as Amazon and Intel on Thursday and many others in the days ahead.

We’ve seen a bit of a wobble across financial markets this last week or two. For many investors, the response to any setback has become almost automatic. You buy the dip. But what happens if that strategy stops working?

It was a mixed week for global markets, as investors became increasingly concerned about rising oil prices and worries that tech companies were borrowing too much for the AI buildout. US crude rose another 10% finishing at US$101 a barrel, while Brent crude hit $110. The S&P 500 was down 2.0%, while the tech sector slipped 6.4% and the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index slumped 11.4%.

It’s been a strong year so far, with most sharemarkets performing well despite some volatility along the way. With just a few months to go, markets have plenty to contend with. We’ve got the stalemate in the Middle East, more interest hikes on the cards, as well as the New Zealand election and the US midterms. What should we expect, and how are markets positioned to finish the year?

The global reporting season ramps up this week, and it’s expected to be another very strong one. We'll hear from Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan and Wells Fargo, all on Tuesday. Other companies to monitor include Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth, as well as ASML and TSMC for clues about the state of AI spending.

In recent weeks and months, the NZ dollar has weakenedagainst many of our trading partners. It’s doing exactly what you’d expect it to against a shifting economic backdrop and widening interest rate differentials between ourselves and other countries. What might this mean for the economy, markets and investors?

With the election just weeks away, Treasury will release the Pre-election Economic and Fiscal Update (PREFU) on Tuesday and we'll get a fresh look at the state of our collective finances. Internationally, it will be a big week of US economic releases with highlights likely to be the PCE inflation report, the ISM manufacturing index and the latest monthly jobs report.

The US Federal Reserve, the world’s most influentialcentral bank, has increased interest rates for the first time since 2023. With more likely to be on the way, this looks to be the beginning of another interest rate “hiking cycle”. What might this mean for markets, and what can we learn from previous hiking cycles?

Global flash purchasing managers' indices (PMIs) will be the highlight of the coming week, as we monitor how the global economy will enter the final quarter of the year. On the political front, investors will be watching the summit between US president Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Washington DC.

Global bond yields have kept on rising, as investors fret over higher government debt levels, rising oil prices and competition from debt issuance to fund AI infrastructure. What do investors need to know, are bonds back to the old normal, and is fixed income finally moving toward its former glory as a sustainable income option?

Global financial markets had a rough week, with an escalating situation in the Middle East pushing oil prices back over $100 and rising bond yields continuing to pressure asset prices. This week's main event will be the Federal Reserve, which will release its latest policy decision on Thursday morning (NZ time). While not a slam dunk, market pricing leans toward the first rate hike since 2023.

After a much stronger than expected US jobs report last week, investors will be laser focused on the August CPI report this week. This is the last major inflation reading ahead of the Federal Reserve's monetary policy decision the following week, and it could determine whether they choose to hike or hold.

We investment types love putting things into categories or themes, and shares are no exception. Two of the most common labels are “growth” and “value”, which are terms investors have used for decades to describe different types of companies and investment styles. What do these mean, and which style is best?

The key event on the domestic calendar will be the latest Official Cash Rate (OCR) decision from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand. Another 0.25% hike is widely expected, which would take the OCR to 2.75%. This will also see the release of a fresh Monetary Policy Statement, which means a new set of forecasts for growth, inflation and the path of the OCR.

There’s just ten weeks until the New Zealand election, and things are getting interesting. The rise of the Opportunity Party in the polls has added another layer of uncertainty to the range of potential outcomes. So much so that prediction markets and some Australian bookmakers now have Labour as the favourite to lead the next government. How have financial markets typically reacted to elections i...

It was a highly eventful week across financial markets, with equity markets mixed and long bond yields rising further. The S&P 500 index broke a three-week winning streak while the local NZX 50 posted its third consecutive weekly rise. Central banks will be in focus this week, with the annual symposium in Jackson Hole taking place from Thursday through Saturday. The corporate calendar will als...

There’s lots of nervousness about sharemarket valuationsat the moment. That’s understandable, especially regarding the US market which has more than tripled in value since the end of 2018. How should investors be thinking about valuations right now, and is it a good time to put capital towork?

We'll get a raft of local releases this week, with Selected Price Indexes and the Performance of Services Index for July due Monday, before the results of a dairy auction on Wednesday. However, the main event will be the earnings season which ramps up in a big way on the NZX. We're hoping for some solid results, while outlook commentaries will be in focus to help gauge the state of the bro...

The local earnings season is upon us, with a plethora of listed companies due to announce results this month. This will offer some valuable insights into the state of corporate New Zealand and the broader economy, after a mixed bag of indicators in recent months.

The economic highlight of the week will be the CPI inflation report in the US, which covers the month of July and is out on Wednesday. This release takes on greater importance after the soft jobs report, which saw expectations for further Federal Reserve rate hikes fall back sharply. Markets now see a greater chance of no change at the September meeting.

There's a lot going on in the US at the moment, from monetary policy and midterms, to earnings releases and market leadership rotations. We spoke to a US equities expert at JPMorgan Asset Management to answer some of our questions and provide some insights into the investment outlook.

If you’ve only glanced at the S&P 500 index in the US these past few months, you might conclude it’s been a relatively quiet period. The market is up around 11 per cent this year, just slightly below its all-time high. Nothing to see here. Look under the hood, however, and it’s a completely different story.

It’ll be another busy week of corporate earnings releases too, with close to 140 more S&P 500 companies scheduled to report. A wide range of sectors will be represented, with some of the highlights likely to be Caterpillar, McDonald's,Disney, Uber and Republic Services. SpaceX will announce its inaugural result as a listed company, while we'll also hear from healthcare heavyweights Eli Lilly a...

The dust has settled on the Reserve Bank’s July hike in the Official Cash Rate, the first in three years. There’s been plenty of debate about whether that was the right move or not, but developments since then (like stronger inflation and a rise in oil prices) suggest it probably was. However, we've also seen some early signs of recovery across the economy, which might put us in good stead to...

A busy week looms, with monetary policy decisions due in the US, UK and Japan. Corporate earnings releases will also be closely watched, with some 180 S&P 500 companies scheduled to report. Tech will be very much in the spotlight as we hear from US heavyweights Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Amazon, as well as Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in South Korea.