The overwhelming victory by the reform oriented BJP led alliance in India’s recent election, has boosted hopes that the Indian economy will get India’s growth story back on track. In the clearest election outcome since 1984, the BJP led alliance won 336 of 543 parliamentary seats giving it a clear majority, with the BJP alone […]
With the Government winning the election with a mandate to fix the budget, a bout of fiscal austerity was inevitable. Against this backdrop and the fears of the last few weeks, the Budget is not as tough as feared. Many of the budget savings will only build over time. Download pdf Watch video commentary Key […]
A constant for investors over the last five years has been very easy global monetary conditions, with near zero interest rates and quantitative easing programs in the US, Europe and Japan. This has helped the global economic and share market recoveries since the GFC. But with the US economy on the mend the time will […]
Investing can be scary and confusing at times. But the basic principles of successful investing are timeless and quotes from some experts help illuminate these. This note looks at those I find most insightful. Download pdf Aim “How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts?” Robert […]
The past few weeks has seen several predictions of a share market crash by some perennial high profile bears. The broad claim is that share markets – namely US shares – have disconnected from fundamentals and that the Fed is to blame for a poor recovery and/or doesn’t know what it is doing. And of […]
Two years ago some (mainly foreign) commentators were convinced Australian housing was in a bubble that was in the process of collapsing as the China driven mining boom faded. Instead, lower interest rates have led to the usual response of rising house prices & approvals for new homes. But has it gone too far, taking […]
It seems there is always something for investors to worry about and right now the crisis involving Ukraine is it. Following its latest “revolution” tensions in Ukraine threatening a war on the European Union’s doorstep, which could disrupt Eurozone gas supplies and possibly drag in the US and Europe against Russia, investors have been rattled […]
The problems with the US economy are well known. Its level of public debt is too high, its spending on social security and health is unsustainable, its health system is woefully inefficient – spending more relative to GDP than most OECD countries but with worse life expectancy – its level of savings is too low, […]
China bears have always been around. At their core seems a disbelief a so called “communist” country could grow so fast. But with China now being the world’s second biggest economy and the largest contributor to global growth their concerns get a lot of airplay. Last year it seemed “ghost cities” were the big worry. […]
Sometimes being at one with a crowd can be nice, eg at rock concerts it adds to the ambience and safety in numbers can provide comfort. However, when crowds turn they can be dangerous – you might get trampled! In fact a wariness of crowds is essential to successful investing. The Japanese bubble of the […]
