SHARE THIS New Zealand's economy is faced with challenges including a weak currency, low productivity growth and slowed immigration. However, there are potential posi'tives, such as declining interest rates and possible gains in longer maturity bonds....
SHARE THIS Throughout history, equity investors have benefitted from maintaining a long-term view and an optimistic outlook on humanity's ability to prevail in the face of adversity. This might once again be the case, meaning that the biggest risk...
SHARE THIS With Japan overcoming deflation and ushering in a period of progress and consolidation despite market volatility and political upheaval, we expect Japanese companies to make strategic decisions in 2025 that attract global investors in larger...
SHARE THIS As with the other markets, Japanese equities reacted immediately to Donald Trump's US presidential election win. The immediate election impact is expected to fade relatively quickly, with market focus turning to the trade policies Trump may...
SHARE THIS The start of the Fed’s rate cut cycle was a boost to risk sentiment, with resilient US data and declining inflation placing the market in a goldilocks situation. Likewise, the start of a global rate cutting cycle sets up a positive...
SHARE THIS The markets suggest that growth will stay at a premium in the short term. Hence, our focus on Future Quality companies, especially those capable of taking market share as the economic backdrop worsens, may prove beneficial.
SHARE THIS Japan’s long history of undercompensating equity investors, a legacy of deflation, is coming to an end with its risk premium now achieving parity with that of the US. This historic shift is being driven by rising dividend payouts ratios,...
SHARE THIS The start of the Fed’s rate cut cycle has created room for monetary easing across Asia. We expect Asian government bond yields, particularly high yielders like those of India, Indonesia and the Philippines, to trend lower.
SHARE THIS We perceive heightened risk to both growth (two-way) and inflation (upside) compared to our previous guidance. Nevertheless, our central near-term scenario remains for slowing but positive growth in the US, alongside slowly moderating prices.
SHARE THIS There is one major thing to keep in mind going into Japan’s upcoming leadership contest for the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)—the country’s looming general election. The ruling party’s chief concern is to select a candidate who can...
SHARE THIS This month we assess why the market is unfazed by Japan’s upcoming leadership change; we also explain how a bid for a prominent Japanese convenience store operator has highlighted how affordable domestic firms now look in the eyes of their...
SHARE THIS The weak yen has played a key role in Japan’s economic recovery by boosting its corporate profits, gross national income and current account surplus. However, it may be time to consider ways Japan can retain its recovery without help from a...
SHARE THIS The Nikkei experienced its worst single-day fall early in August after reaching a record high just the previous month. Despite the recent slide, domestic factors supporting Japanese equities remain relatively unchanged, in our view. We...
SHARE THIS The Reserve Bank of New Zealand stood pat on interest rates in its latest Monetary Policy Review in July, but it signalled a shift towards a more dovish stance, suggesting that a first rate cut could be conducted by the end of 2024.
SHARE THIS We assess the extreme turbulence this week that rocked Japanese equities, which had reached record highs just last month. We discuss the factors that led to the sharp downturn at the start of the week and consider what could be in store for...
SHARE THIS Japan Equity Investment Director Junichi Takayama explains how active management can help identify opportunities, particularly within the small and mid-cap markets.
SHARE THIS In China, we await confirmation of real, positive fundamental change before increasing our confidence towards the country, and we maintain a highly selective approach. Elsewhere, a combination of AI-induced excitement and positive structural...
SHARE THIS This month we focus on the surge in long-term JGB yields and whether it poses a threat to equities; we also discuss the potential upside for Japan’s small- and mid-cap stocks.
SHARE THIS Recently, China has been frequently appearing in global headlines, although many of these stories are not particularly encouraging. Amidst a fixation with the slowdown in the world’s second-largest economy, global markets may be missing the...
SHARE THIS Markets have continued their strong growth through 2024, as odds continue to grow that central banks are able to walk the tight rope and avoid any real slowdown of global growth. US inflation has remained above expectations. However, some...