The second half of 2024 backed up the first half nicely to provide solid overall returns for the full year.  The main contributor was international equities powered by ever higher valuations of the big US tech companies.  The market is expecting - and paying for – strong future growth largely on the back of developing artificial intelligence. Are we near a peak?…

We’re on the home straight to Christmas and the end of 2024 and what an interesting year it’s been! Taming inflation, falling interest rates, the rise of artificial intelligence, soft landing for the US economy, and now the prospect of a Trump presidency. All of this has produced strong returns for the year…

In today's complex and ever-changing financial landscape, making investment decisions can sometimes feel like trying to solve a giant jigsaw puzzle without all the pieces. With so many different options and choices, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed or uncertain about the best fit for your future…

Looking at the year to 31 October investment returns have been strong and once again international equities were the standout performer. Australasian shares have also done well. The US election? Well, the American people have spoken and the US share market and US dollar have both jumped…

Cyber Smart Week is CERT NZ’s annual campaign to encourage all of us [living in the land of the long white cloud] to become more cyber resilient. This year’s campaign focuses on adopting two-factor authentication and maintaining strong password practices…

Central banks have started cutting interest rates as they are confident inflation is under control. This translated to a boost for investments in September capping off a high returning year with all sectors of our client portfolios firing. Looking ahead, the market is pricing in further interest rate cuts which is positive for investment valuations...

The big news in markets is the US Federal Reserve announcement that “the time has come” to lower interest rates. The US share market jumped 1.2% on the announcement. In NZ the Reserve Bank cut the OCR from 5.50% to 5.25% and overall share prices on the NZ market increased by 2.2%. Lower interest rates are good for investment returns...

The great surge in market prices of the “Magnificent 7” (Microsoft, Google, Amazon etc) has driven the US share market to all time highs over the last year. This excitement may well be justified but what about the other 493 companies on the US S&P500? We are seeing signs that attention is moving to these so called “old economy” stocks that are selling at attractive prices and will benefit from lower interest rates. In this months article we look at the global trend of changing demographics…

To anyone watching the share market over the last year, it would seem the letters “AI” are akin to a magic wand that will pump up the share price of any company involved in it. Our international equity strategy has certainly reaped the reward with returns over 17% for the year. Exciting stuff but we’re not getting carried away. In this months article we look at how high debt is impacting economic growth and what this means for investment returns…

In today's complex and ever-changing financial landscape, navigating investment decisions can sometimes feel a bit like sailing through uncharted waters – dodging financial storms and treacherous currents. Here's how a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL ADVISER (CFP) can be your lifeline..

The standout performer continues to be our international share strategy returning over 20% for the year largely driven by the ‘Magnificent 7’ US tech companies. One of these is Nvidia, a company that designs and supplies computer chips and software and hardware for artificial intelligence (AI). Over the last two years the share price of this business has tripled!

In today’s world where consumers increasingly demand ever-evolving and improved practices, prioritising profit alone is no longer acceptable - or beneficial - for business. Successful business’s follow the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) approach to meet these modern consumer demands.…