And now for a dose of European exceptionalism! The Market Ear. The Old Country is now the new hot darling Everything is going Europe’s way right now. Stocks are outperforming, inflows have just started, there are macro green-shoots and valuations are still cheap. Let’s once again revisit the new darling macro case that is Europe.
The Albanese government has set a fantastical target of building 1.2 million homes over five years. To meet this target, Australia would need to build many shoebox apartments. New South Wales and Victoria have introduced planning reforms allowing the blanket construction of high-rise towers across Sydney and Melbourne activity centres. The widespread push for density
Australian housing affordability is at an all-time low. At the end of 2024, the percentage of income necessary to satisfy median-sized mortgage repayments reached a record high of 50.6%. Rental affordability also dropped to a new low, making it tougher for first-time buyers to save a deposit. Prior to last month’s 0.25% interest rate reduction
It’s a triumph! Australia’s energy shortages have been resolved. Except when you look at how. From the AEMO. Shortfall risks under peak conditions are forecast in southern Australia from 2028, later than forecast in the 2024 GSOO due to expected falls in residential, commercial and industrial consumption of gas, and the delayed retirement of Eraring
DXY and EUR stable. AUD downish. Lead boots are made for walking. Gold has entered some kind of new up smash. Copper doom is here thanks to Goldman. Meh everything else. Big miners meh. EM maybe. Credit surged. Oh dear. Yields down. Stocks up. Is it a sort of Fed put? UBS. Dare anyone say
Last night saw the US Federal Reserve hold fire on interest rate changes although it did signal that stagflation is the likely outcome for Trump’s Tariffs with an uptick in inflation already observable. US stocks loved the talkfest anyway as Wall Street and European stocks pushed higher, the latter again moving mainly due to defense
Last month, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released the Q4 2024 wage price index, which increased 0.7% for the quarter and 3.2% year on year. The 0.7% quarterly increase was the equal-lowest growth rate since Q1 2022, while the 3.2% annual increase was the lowest since Q3 2022. Real wages deflated by headline CPI
A Senate inquiry into university governance has heard claims that the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is failing to monitor the standard of university degrees. The assertion has been made by a group of more than 200 ‘old-school’ academics known as Public Universities Australia, with the group claiming that universities are “soft marking”
Uncertainty has returned for stock markets here in Asia in response to the stumbles on Wall Street overnight with local stocks ending up lower. The USD is trying to fight back as it remains weak against Euro and Pound Sterling although the BOJ hold today helped it keep Yen lower this afternoon, as traders await
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s 1.75% reduction in the official cash rate has finally stimulated an upswing in New Zealand house prices. The Real Estate Institute of New Zealand’s (REINZ) House Price Index jumped by 1.4% in February to be 0.5% higher over the quarter. Over the year, New Zealand home prices were down