SHARE THIS The Federal Reserve is seemingly following in the footsteps of the Bank of Japan and adopting a strategy of monetary policy gradualism. This measured approach is aimed at balancing rate cuts with inflation expectations and stabilising the...
SHARE THIS It may not be quite as profound as the eternal “chicken and the egg question” but nevertheless we suspect that deep in the bowels of some academic institutions, aging economists are still debating which came first, money or credit? Did the...
SHARE THIS “Stagflation-lite” coupled with a severe geopolitical crisis was much worse for equities than we expected, but most of the bad news is priced in, so the prospect for global economies and equities in aggregate should improve. While we expect...
SHARE THIS As the famous 1980s’ bumper sticker (almost) said, “shocks happen”. The global economy / ecosystem is an inherently dynamic entity, constantly changing its shape and composition. Some of these changes will of course favour some economies...
SHARE THIS For those willing to brave immediate challenges, we believe China will continue to offer long-term opportunities as the country has been working to become technologically self-sufficient and develop high-end technologies on its own in a more...
SHARE THIS Although market volatility resurfaced in the early part of the April-June quarter as interest rate cuts in the US began to look less likely amid higher-than-expected inflation, risk assets bounced back and rallied strongly later in the...
SHARE THIS The RBNZ's recent shift to a more dovish stance already appears to have buoyed New Zealand's equities at this early stage of the cycle, with examples including signs of strength in the retirement village and rental sectors, and the market...
SHARE THIS Japan’s GDP understated as a result of declining inventories
SHARE THIS Nikko Asset Management Announces Policy Regarding Japan’s Stewardship Code
SHARE THIS In what was probably the best kept secret of many years, the BOJ unanimously agreed to shift its YCC policy well before virtually any economist or market watcher expected. The largest question people seem to have is “why now?”. As with most...
SHARE THIS The Fed and the BOJ both made interest rate decisions that were in line with market predictions, with the former cutting interest rates and the latter standing pat on policy. However, uncertainty around future policies and potential impacts...
SHARE THIS In 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected a wide variety of Japanese assets, including the real estate investment trust (J-REIT) market. J-REITs have bounced back since, but their recovery has been sluggish compared to the Japanese...
SHARE THIS Despite its small size and geographic location, New Zealand has led the World in a number of fields – physics, Postwar economic theory (Bill Phillips was born in NZ), inflation targeting (amongst the first to make this a statutory target),...
SHARE THIS We assess the US election outcome from the perspective of the Japanese equity market, focusing on the economic and policy changes that are expected to accompany the change in US leadership.
SHARE THIS The strong start to the year for global equity markets hit its first bump in the road in February. While most countries are still delivering a positive return for the year, markets have retreated from their highs to varying degrees.
SHARE THIS As expected by most observers, Mr. Kishida won the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election in the second round with a sturdy, though not overwhelming, 60% of the vote. He will be formally named prime minister next week and will likely...
SHARE THIS Although the late 1980s’ “Lawson Boom” in the UK was an interesting first real-time introduction to a credit boom, the author’s first authentic experience of the “madness” that can accompany a credit boom was centred on Japan in 1988 and...
SHARE THIS Much like this report in 2023, global conditions will remain unique and defy a confident overall summary; thus, here are ten predictions on some particularly noteworthy factors.
SHARE THIS In my experience, there is nothing so powerful for asset markets as an “unquantifiable positive story and a tonne of liquidity”. Russell Napier’s Library of Mistakes in Edinburgh looks brilliantly at some of the madness that has taken hold...
SHARE THIS Our outlook for 2025 is relatively positive. We expect the business-friendly stance of the Republican Party, coupled with easier monetary policy, will be supportive for risk assets, particularly in the US market. While we hold various views,...