NEWS OF IMMINENT VACCINE GIVES MARKETS A SHOT IN THE ARM The positive news announced by US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, in collaboration with Germany’s BioNtech, last week gave a glimmer [...]

TRUMP'S ELECTION LOSS HAS NOT DERAILED EQUITIES Equity markets staged a V-shaped rally last week in the wake of their sharp correction in late October, encouraged as the US presidential [...]

SCARED BUT NOT PANICKING Last week was extremely volatile for equity markets, with indices falling between 4% and 7%. Part of the reason was the surge in Covid-related hospitalisations and [...]

BUSINESS SHUTDOWNS AND SURGING VIRUS CASES RATTLE INVESTORS Core equity markets staged corrections last week, pulled down by concerns about the continuing pandemic and the renewed restrictions on business introduced [...]

AWAITING A DOSE OF STIMULUS AND A VACCINE SHOT Last week the news centred on the resurgence of Covid-19 cases, very often concerning countries that had previously brought the pandemic [...]

** Budget Summary 2020/21 ------------------------------------------------------------ ** The Federal Budget has presented an opportunity to take stock of the cumulative effect of both the health and economic crisis we are currently [...]

TRUMPS HEALTH SCARE SENDS JITTERS THROUGH THE MARKET Last week culminated in a correction on US equities as Donald Trump’s positive coronavirus test stoked the political uncertainty one month before [...]

RENEWED CONCERNS ABOUT THE PANDEMIC Financial markets are dominated by two pivotal themes: the Covid-19 comeback and prevarication in Congress over the next dose of fiscal stimulus. The number of [...]

RUDE AWAKENING FOR BANKING STOCKS Last week was a replay of the same rotation move: out of growth stocks – chiefly tech – and into industrial cyclicals and energy stocks. [...]

RETAIL TRADERS DRIVE UP MARKET VOLATILITY Fatalities linked to Covid-19 have been decreasing worldwide, even though the number of cases has been rocketing again since people have returned from holiday. [...]