7 March 2019 Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist Australia’s economic growth – real GDP vs real GDP per capita                                     Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics.  The Australian economy is back in the slow lane. Australia’s real…

27 February 2019 Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist Australian shares vs credit conditions Sources: Reserve Bank of Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Sensis.  Australians appear to be facing tougher conditions when borrowing money.  Notably the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) recently commented that “credit conditions for housing and small business…

22 February 2019 Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist       Source:  Reserve Bank of Australia and Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australia has recorded strong jobs growth over recent years. Australia’s unemployment rate has also managed to gradually fall to 5% (black line). This is essentially the lowest unemployment rate since 2012. Both…

14 February 2019 Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist Source:  NAB Business Survey and Westpac Melbourne Institute (WMI) Consumer Sentiment survey. Confidence is a key indicator for economic growth. Consumer spending, housing construction and business investment can all depend upon confidence. NAB’s Business Survey (blue line) shows that confidence has turned down over recent…

Highlights: Fears of slowing growth momentum in the US and China are creating a sense of urgency for both countries to resolve the trade dispute. The possibility of a further US government shutdown over border control is adding to uncertainty and downside risks to the economy. The Australian residential property market continues to weaken, while…

05 February 2019 Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist                      US interest rates (Fed funds interest rates) vs Wages (Average hourly earnings)                                                    …

At its meeting today, the Board decided to leave the cash rate unchanged at 1.50 per cent. The global economy grew above trend in 2018, although it slowed in the second half of the year. Unemployment rates in most advanced economies are low. The outlook for global growth remains reasonable, although downside risks have increased. The trade…

Which key events have been driving markets? Watch this video of Senior Economist Bob Cunneen in discussion with Portfolio Specialist, Sinead Rafferty. They discuss: The reasons behind the recent falls in global share markets, and Latest market movements in Australia January Economic Update – Watch Video

Highlights: The US Fed appears to be more cautious about the economy but remains in tightening mode, with a further two rate hikes expected in 2019. There are signs of slowing momentum in the US economy but fundamentals remain relatively robust, especially in the labour market. The property market has dominated the headlines in Australia,…

14 December 2018 Bob Cunneen, Senior Economist and Portfolio Specialist US economic growth vs yield curve Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis   Investors have become alarmed that the US yield curve indicates that a recession is coming. The ‘yield curve’ is the gap between long-term and short-term interest rates (red line). Currently the US…