Many in retirement are travelling comfortably, with three key factors contributing to their happiness – good physical and mental health and enough money to enjoy life.
Perhaps the assumption that markets are still anchored by predictable economic policies needs to be challenged. For the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall, political volatility – once background noise – is potentially reshaping investment risk at a structural level.
Inside Investor morning report – ASX 200 to open mixed
Australia’s ASX 200 is expected to open slightly lower on Tuesday according to the Sydney Futures Exchange.
International markets a patchy
International markets were patchy overnight Monday. The Nasdaq continuing its relentless charge, up 0.8%; the S&P 500 rose 0.1%.
European markets were weaker with the German Dax and FTSE both improving slightly, but the most strength was in Asia where the Nikkei rallied 1.1% and the ASX 200, 1.3%. The ASX rally was broad-based with every sector increasing for the day on the back of easing lockdowns around the world.
Oil improved to $30 per barrel sending shares in Santos Ltd (ASX: STO) and Woodside Petroleum Ltd (ASX: WPL) up around 2%. Global hearing implant leader, Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH), added significantly to the market, rising 5% as elective surgeries around the world began to open up.
China increasing support
Amid continued discussions with the US, the Chinese central bank announced it would continue to support the domestic economy with a view to maintaining employment and seeking to remove poverty in 2020. A lofty goal. Reports indicated that the economy is once again relying on off-balance-sheet borrowing by domestic companies, called Local Government Finance Vehicles (LGFV) with issuance up to $206 billion for April.
UK PM Boris Johnson reduced restrictions whilst announcing a potential 14-day quarantine for all arrivals, impacting airlines including EasyJet.
It was a busy day for Australian companies, Macquarie Group Ltd (ASX: MQG) rallied 6% as management announced it was relaunching its $400 million raising via a long-dated preference share, suggesting market conditions were quickly improving.
US Cinema owner AMC Holdings was rumoured to have received a takeover offer from Amazon, sending the shares up 38%, whilst cable companies including Comcast and Charter are benefitting similarly to Telstra Corp Ltd (ASX: TLS) as consumers seek to install faster broadband connections.
Retailers in Australia also saw signs of improvement, shares of Kathmandu Holdings (ASX: KMD) rose 14% and car sales aggregator AP Eagers Ltd (ASX: APE) jumped over 10%.
This report was written by Drew Meredith, Director of Wattle Partners.
