In general, share markets have been strong over the past 12 months. This is reflected in the performance of the MSCI World Net Total Return Index in Australian dollars, which has risen by 20.3 per cent. The current investment environment is extraordinary. Many world share indices ended June at or near all-time record highs. We […]

Unless you are a historian, you may well imagine that the world has always been pretty much as we know it today. The USA is the superpower, big, brash and energetic. Europe is the centre of culture and style and a few counties like Japan and Korea had become successful copying and developing innovations from […]

Global growth slowed in 2013 but there are signs that growth could rebound in 2014, led by the developed economies of the US and Europe. However, it is not clear whether the recovery is sustainable and structural problems remain hidden below the surface.    Global growth forecasts have continually been revised down during 2013, with the […]

Every day, we are bombarded with news about incredible breakthroughs in the technology sphere. What was once a long way into the future, maybe in a different world, is coming closer and at a faster pace. Self-driving cars, drones with shopping parcels, big data and 3D printing are just a few of the recent innovations […]

Everyone will be familiar with the Global Financial Crisis (GFC).  In many parts of the world economic growth was buoyant up until late 2007, but the tide turned and by September 2008 the global financial system was close to collapsing.  Exposure to complex AAA rated investments (which turned out to be backed by poor quality […]

Through the forty years between 1985 and 2004 the G7 economies of USA, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, UK and Canada generated about two thirds of global growth. Underpinning this growth was the rise of a middle class – a social classification broadly meaning people with a desire to live a comfortable life. This translates into […]