2009 :

• Global Markets – 1st quarter 2009
  “PLUNGING DOWN SOUTH TO THE BIG FREEZER ”
  Why start an end of Tax year newsletter with a story about a trip to Antarctica? The parallels are there if you look for them. 2008 was more than a rough Drake's Passage for those of us invested in the equity markets. The unprecedented plummet "South" by the World's share markets precipitated the present "freeze" in economic activity. [More...]
  
  
• Global Markets – 2nd quarter 2009
  “Bull markets are born on pessimism..”
  Evidence shows that pessimism amongst investors remains understandably high. Certain market commentators, while recognising the vast amount of negative market data still around, are beginning to view the future with a little less trepidation [knowing that history tells us that markets, which are forward looking, tend to start recovering about 70% of the way through a recession]. They are choosing to rather turn their attention to the “green shoots” [the latest buzz word in our industry] that have started to present themselves in certain areas of the global economy. [More...]
  
  
• Looking back …
  Six months have past since I wrote the Finlaw News article about “Plunging down South to the Big Freezer” [end Feb 2009]. The message then was …“bailing out of your investments, turning back on your long-term investment strategies will only deprive you of the benefits of staying the course” – and how true that has been. Sure, we are not back at the giddy heights of the share markets before the crash and no doubt it will take a long time to get back there – but we have enjoyed the biggest market rebound [both locally and abroad] since the “Great Depression” of the 1930’s. [More...]
  
  
• Global Markets – 4th quarter 2009
  “2009 – a year divided”
  Many of us, when asked, would probably immediately respond that 2009 is a year that we would rather forget. The year started with extreme pessimism, following the most severe market correction since the 1930’s. However, since March, “green shoots” have started to emerge and, if we look back at the year [to the end of November], many may be pleasantly surprised. [More...]