Market Update February 2011
This month’s newsletter has all the usual key information to keep you up to date and informed about everything that’s been happening in the local and global economies and equity markets here and around the world. Key themes from this edition Despite political issues in North Africa and most notably Egypt, overall, it has been a relatively good start to the year. Concerns over Europe have eased somewhat; helped by a number of successful bond issues by governments in Spain, Portugal and Italy, and Germany’s economy which is exceeding expectations. In the US, the Fed has kept rates low as expected, however positive signs like an increase in household spending is an indication of improving sentiment. In Australia, markets have had a soft start to 2011 with the impact of the Queensland floods, and the dollar remains around parity with the USD. While it’s been a reasonably good start to the year, as a long-term investor, it’s important to keep in mind that we can probably expect to see more volatility as global markets work towards a sustained recovery. If you’d like to discuss anything in this report please give my office a call on 8274 3744.
Kind regards, Steve Greatrex