Global markets
The ‘bloodbath’ in global bond markets continued last week, with U.S. 10-year bond yields ending the week up another 7bps to 1.41%. A poorly supported U.S. 7-year Treasury bond auction appeared to be the catalyst for last week’s further yield gain, with assurances from Fed chair Powell (not even thinking about ending QE anytime soon!) only stemming the sell-off for a couple of days.
Bond blues
Global markets
The rise and rise in global bond yields in recent weeks – on the back of rising raw material and wholesale price pressures – finally got noticed by hard-charging equity markets last week, though at this stage the yield impact is a glancing blow rather than a knockout punch.
Inflation Watch
Global markets
Global equities continued to grind higher last week in the absence of bad news. Biden’s massive U.S. fiscal stimulus package remains the ‘gift that keeps on giving’ as it slowly winds it way through Congress and gives equity bulls something positive to talk about on quiet days. The U.S.
Market Trends: December 2020
Key global market trends – stock rebound!
After two months of consolidation, global equities powered ahead in November, reflecting positive COVID-19 vaccine news and a seemingly clear winner of the U.S. Presidential election. The gains came despite rising COVID-19 cases in both Europe and the United States and the re-imposition of some social distancing restrictions.
The case for a purer exposure to gold
Reading time: 4 minutes
It’s no surprise that gold is surging right now, given escalating China/U.S. tensions, real yields at or below zero, and a weakening USD. On 28 July, the gold spot price reached a new all-time high of USD1,959 per ounce, eclipsing the levels set in 2011-12 on fears of QE induced inflation.
ETF distributions – Answers to your 8 most frequently asked questions
At the beginning of each financial year, we typically receive many questions around distributions paid by ETFs. With the 19/20 financial year just a few weeks behind us, many investors will likely be turning their mind to the topic of distributions, so we thought we’d provide answers to some of the commonly asked questions.
End of financial year thoughts on ETFs
Reading time: 4 mins
Note: BetaShares is not a tax adviser and this information should not be construed as tax advice. You should obtain professional, independent tax advice before making any investment decision.
Sir Benjamin Franklin had some witty quotes: one of my favourites is: “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” 1 June marked the day pubs re-opened in New South Wales,
Pure alchemy – why gold matters
Reading time: 5 mins
As the Novel Coronavirus pandemic has spread, we have seen continued interest in gold for asset allocation usage and as a trading thematic. Given its popularity in times of economic stress, we thought it worthwhile to re-examine the case for gold given the current market uncertainty.
Answers to your most-asked webinar FAQs
Reading time: 3 minutes
A large audience dialled into the latest of our fortnightly ‘Virus Crisis’ webinars last week. We received many questions from those who attended. David Bassanese, BetaShares Chief Economist, has provided responses to some of the most-asked questions by attendees.
1. You mentioned V,
Could negative oil be a positive for ‘Big Oil’?
Reading time: 4 minutes
On 20 April, the WTI oil futures price fell below zero for the first time in history – in other words, traders were prepared to pay buyers to take oil off their hands!
A negative oil futures price is primarily due to the mechanics of the oil futures market,