With just six weeks to go until the election, the local sharemarket seems to be in a bit of a funk. There are a number of reasons for this, and uncertainty over how the political landscape will look beyond October is one of them. Are we likely to see a market rebound in the wake of the election, and would a change a government be a positive for investors? Let's take a look back through history and see what's happened after elections in the past.

There are plenty of important economic releases due in the US this week, with the August jobs report and July PCE inflation figures of most interest. China's latest PMIs will be a focal point, while unemployment releases are due across Europe. Here in New Zealand, the ANZ Business Outlook survey will be the key economic releases on Thursday and the earnings season will continue as well. Meridian Energy and Tourism Holdings are two of the likely highlights, while investors will be watching for an update from market heavyweight Fisher & Paykel Healthcare at its annual meeting on Tuesday. Find out what all of this could mean for you and your investment portfolio right here!

After a stellar first seven months of the year, August is proving to be more challenging for investors. US shares are down about four per cent this month, which puts it on track to be the weakest month since December last year. What's brought on this sudden bout of August anxiety, and what might the near-term hold for investors?

There's an awful lot happening across financial markets at the moment. US shares have fallen for three weeks in a row, while 10-year Treasury yields are close to the highest levels since 2007. China has found itself in a challenging situation with weak domestic demand, fears of deflation, a troubled housing market and concerns over the shadow lending sector. New Zealand farmers are feeling the brunt of this, with Fonterra cutting its milk payout forecast for the second time in a fortnight on Friday, although none of this has stopped the Reserve Bank warning us of the potential for more hikes in the Official Cash Rate if inflation doesn't start behaving. Then there's the NZX earnings season, which started last week and really ramps up in the days ahead. Find out which stocks were hot, which were not, and everything else you need to know to keep up with global markets this week!

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand left the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 5.5% today, having increased it at 12 consecutive meetings between October 2021 and May of this year. The forecasts in the associated Monetary Policy Statement reflected a more resilient economy, a labour market that remains tighter for longer, and higher inflation over the next 12 months. What does this mean for investors, and is there a risk interest rates need to go higher?

Dairy prices have been trending lower for the past 18 months, and the declines have gathered pace in recent weeks.  This will impact the broader economy, flowing through to reduced spending on goods and services, lower activity, and a reduced tax take. It could also put some downward pressure on the currency, given the historic relationship between global dairy prices and the NZ dollar.  For investors, this is a timely reminder of the need to hedge our bets with a healthy exposure to international assets. This provides an insurance policy against any challenges we might face, and any currency weakness that might follow as a result.

The US consumer will be in focus this week with retail sales for July out on Tuesday, as well as earnings releases from Home Depot and Walmart. Following a better-than-expected GDP report in the UK on Friday, markets will be watching wage data on Tuesday and the July inflation report on Wednesday. There’ll be plenty to keep an eye on here this week, with the Reserve Bank set to release its latest monetary policy decision on Wednesday, as well as a fresh set of economic projections. The reporting season also kicks off both here and across the Tasman. Local highlights are likely to include Contact Energy, Fletcher Building, Skellerup and Spark, while we'll be watching the likes of LendLease, Amcor, CSL, Transurban and Goodman Group in Australia.

The S&P 500 in the US fell 2.3% last week, its worst performance in almost five months. After a stellar run that’s seen the US market rebound more than 25% from its October 2022 lows, a breather is to be expected. A slightly weaker than expected result from market heavyweight Apple and a softer jobs report that pointed to persistent inflation pressures were catalysts for the more cautious tone. There was a lot going on in the local market too, with some fresh unemployment figures coming out as well as a big downgrade in the forecast milk payout from Fonterra. Get the lowdown on what this means for the economy, the currency and the path of interest rates right here, along with a heads up of what you need to keep an eye on this week.

August is “Money Month”, an annual public awareness campaign run by Te Ara Ahunga Ora (the Retirement Commission) to help improve financial wellbeing. With that in mind, we thought we’d let aspiring share investors in on a secret, which is that it’s much easier than people think. In fact, if you follow two simple rules it’s hard to go wrong.