by Stephen Roberts | 30 Nov, 2020 | Economic Weekly, Laminar Economist Stephen Roberts, Market Commentary
Economic reports and surveys for major economies released during November show some upside surprises although the proportion is noticeably less than in October. Australia is an exception where upside surprises continued through the month. The global economic recovery...
by Stephen Roberts | 23 Nov, 2020 | Economic Weekly, Laminar Economist Stephen Roberts, Market Commentary
Two more data releases last week show the Australian economy continuing its better-than-expected lift out of recession in the first half of 2020. Preliminary October retail sales rose by 1.6% m-o-m against market forecasts around –1.5% with a rise of 7.3% compared...
by Stephen Roberts | 16 Nov, 2020 | Economic Weekly, Laminar Economist Stephen Roberts, Market Commentary
The last few weeks of 2020 look like being a period of growing optimism about what lies ahead in 2021 including and perhaps especially in Australia. Although covid-19 continues to cast a pall, as it has through almost all 2020, there is justifiable hope that an...
by Stephen Roberts | 9 Nov, 2020 | Economic Weekly, Laminar Economist Stephen Roberts, Market Commentary
At its board meeting last week, the RBA decided to ease monetary conditions further including cutting the cash rate and target rate for three-year bonds 15 basis points to 0.10% and announcing an initiative to purchase $A100 billions of longer-dated government bonds....
by Stephen Roberts | 2 Nov, 2020 | Economic Weekly, Laminar Economist Stephen Roberts, Market Commentary
Risk assets mostly fell in October as covid-19 infection rates rose sharply in the US and Europe and amid rising uncertainty running towards the US presidential election. While Q3 GDP reports from the US and Europe showed record increases, there was a perception in...
by Stephen Roberts | 26 Oct, 2020 | Economic Weekly, Laminar Economist Stephen Roberts, Market Commentary
Economic readings and surveys in major economies again rose more strongly than expected through October for the most part despite rising covid-19 infection rates in many countries including the United States and much of Europe. The stimulus measures put in place by...
