2017 saw all 45 OECD countries and the major emerging economies in synchronised growth for the first time in 10 years. JBWere examines the impact ‘synchronised growth’ has on markets and what’s in store for investors in 2018.
Author
Nick Ryder
“Nick is JBWere’s Investment Strategist and is responsible for recommending and implementing investment strategies for clients of JBWere.”
Nick is JBWere’s Investment Strategist and is responsible for recommending and implementing investment strategies for clients of JBWere.
He has over 20 years’ experience in investment banking and investment management.
Since joining NAB in 2005, Nick has worked in a variety of investment roles which have included managing the bank’s proprietary structured equity and distressed investment programs as well as its investments in boutique fund managers.
Nick was previously Head of Citigroup’s alternative investment businesses in Australia which included hedge funds, private equity funds, real estate and structured credit funds. He has also served as Vice President of Investment Banking at Salomon Smith Barney and as a Director and Portfolio Manager of two specialist hedge fund managers: Coastal Capital and Austral Capital.
Nick is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and holds a Bachelor of Commerce with first class honours from the University of Melbourne.
Recently Published Articles
Impact investing – mixing profits with purpose
Impact investing (sometimes also referred to as mission-related investing) is an investment strategy where an investor proactively makes investments that can generate both financial returns, as well as intentional social or environmental returns for the community.
The ins and outs of annuities
Read more to learn how you could use annuities in your portfolio.
Back to the future…with Forward Exchange Contracts
Forward exchange contracts (“FECs”), which are usually between a bank and a customer, enable the exchange of one currency into another at a future date and a pre-agreed exchange rate.
Monthly Financial Markets Update: October 2016
In early September equity markets sold off after a US Federal Reserve official suggested interest rates could be increased at the September Fed meeting. Markets recovered later in the month when interest rates went unchanged.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – September 2016
August saw another rise in global equity prices despite increased talk from US Federal Reserve officials that suggest they are looking to raise US interest rates in either September or December.
Monthly Financial Markets Update: August 2016
The “X factors” that had been dominating negative market views – bad debts in the Italian and Chinese banking system, terrorism, political issues and the rise of anti-globalisation – have given way to a “fear of missing out” rally.
Cash and alternative assets still in favour.
We review July conditions and recommend overweight exposure in cash and alternative assets, with underweight positions in fixed interest, property and Australian equities, while keeping neutral exposure to international equities.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – July 2016
It was a difficult month for equities with an initial sell off in early June, following the release of weak jobs growth figures in the United States and another decline later in the month following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.
Monthly Financial Markets & Asset Allocation Update: June 2016
Brexit is a significant shift in the geopolitical landscape, with associated uncertainty. Investors will need compensation for this with lower share prices. We believe a 15% global equity sell-off over the next 6-8 weeks is a reasonable base case.
Investment strategy: Asset-backed securities
Read more to learn how you could use asset-backed securities in your portfolio
Monthly Financial Markets Update – May 2016
In most of the major economies the outlook remains fragile, as a result of political uncertainty and disappointing earnings results. However recovery in equity prices has continued into April, primarily to the bounce in commodity prices and supportive central banks.
How ‘trendy’ is your investment strategy?
We all want to understand and profit from the latest trends, particularly when it comes to investment opportunities and strategies - but is it worthwhile jumping on the bandwagon? Here we explore the upsides and downsides of investing for or against market trends.
Bonds and interest rates: if rates go up, must bond value go down?
Investors commonly take the view that bonds are not a good investment in an environment where the central bank is expected to increase interest rates, but the decision may not always be that simple.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – April 2016
In our April update, Nick Ryder, JBWere Investment Strategist, highlights that the local equity market faces a number of headwinds from the rise in the AUD, lower commodity prices, higher potential bank capital requirements and profit margin pressures.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – March 2016
In our March update, Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, talks mixed messages with slumps in developed markets, India and China while the US posted slight improvements and Australia performed reasonably well. Meanwhile, Europe’s inflation entered negative territory.
Asset Allocation Insight – February 2016
In this discussion of alternative investments, Nick Ryder explains that the increased weighting in this asset class is the result of less attractive prices in traditional asset classes.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – February 2016
Nick Ryder, highlights that January was a difficult month for financial market with renewed investor jitters over slow growth in China and falling commodity prices.
Your Asset Allocation Guide: Achieving long-term strategic targets
Setting long-term asset allocation targets in a portfolio and achieving them are two different things. Here we discuss portfolio drift and how to manage it.
Property Insight: Gradual slowing in key metros
In November we’ve seen small declines in dwelling prices in Sydney and Melbourne with auction clearance rates falling to 60% along with average selling time. Reversing recent trends, prices in other metros rose in November.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – December 2015
In our December update, Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, highlights how equity markets rose again in November helped by expectations of further monetary stimulus from the European Central Bank.
Investment Insight: the heart of the machine
The growth of the industrial internet phenomenon and its impact on our automated life. We look at how this trend is evolving the structure of companies that manufacture hardware and software technology.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – November 2015
Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, highlights how equity markets recorded their strongest rise in four years in October and continue to offer the best prospective returns of any asset class.
Your asset allocation guide – September
Individuals should consider the value of their human capital as well their financial assets when calculating their net worth.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – September 2015
Chinese economic data has been weak, causing significant weakness in global equity markets In Australia, second quarter economic growth was lack lustre and there was a surprise fall in retail sales, but other measures of economic activity such as building approvals and employment look good.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – August, 2015
Global financial markets recovered in July following the debt deal in Greece and stabilisation of the Chinese stock market. Locally, the news is also good – the unemployment rate appears to have peaked while business conditions and confidence have also picked up.
Investment Insight: Takeovers and takeover defence tactics
Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, explains takeover and defence tactics used by listed companies.
Your asset allocation guide – August 2015
An investment portfolio can be designed based on risk tolerance, age or lifestyle objectives but using historic average returns (of different asset classes) to build that portfolio can be dangerous.
Investment Insight: How company shares are valued
Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, explains the different ways analysts and fund managers value listed company shares.
Your asset allocation guide – July
Ructions in Greece and China are worrisome for investors but are unlikely to have a material impact on markets or on asset allocation recommendations.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – July, 2015
Financial markets remain focussed on a Greek exit from the Eurozone, wild gyrations on the Chinese equity market and further hints about a rise in US interest rates. Locally, markets are concerned about falling commodity prices and strong property prices.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – June, 2015
The US Federal Reserve expects the US unemployment rate will fall to 5% by year end. Locally, the Reserve Bank of Australia is hoping lower interest rates will translate to a lower Australian dollar which would help the non-mining sectors.
Your asset allocation guide – June 2015
The link between bond yields and share prices over the past few weeks has spooked many investors but may be good news.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – May, 2015
The US economy recorded slower jobs growth in April while GDP growth slowed to a crawl. This means the US Federal Reserve may delay raising interest rates until September. In Australia, jobs growth was higher than expected while core inflation sits comfortably in the middle of the Reserve Bank’s target range.
Your asset allocation guide – May
Developed market equities appear expensive compared to average long-term price-to-earnings ratios. However, given relatively subdued earnings growth, many investors argue that they aren’t expensive when compared to current bond yields.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – April 2015
The US Federal Reserve has given itself the flexibility to raise interest rates from June, responding to record jobs growth. Meanwhile in Australia, consumer and business confidence has eased back in the most recent surveys, despite the recent interest rate cut.
Your asset allocation guide – April 2015
Knowing when to reduce the proportion of equities in a portfolio and when to increase exposure to other asset classes like property, cash and bonds, can be part science and part art. Valuations, fundamentals and sentiment all play a role.
Your asset allocation guide – March 2015
With bond yields at or near record lows in many parts of the world, particularly Europe, but with share markets in the United States and Germany hitting fresh record highs, signals are mixed, so it may be time to consider alternative investment opportunities.
Your asset allocation guide – February 2015
2014 was another strong year for international shares, with only part of the gains for Australian investors attributed to a weaker AUD. However, with the prospect of Australian interest rates falling further, investors’ future income from currency hedging is unlikely to be as high.
Your asset allocation guide – December 2014
Overall, global equity markets are in a sweet spot. China, Japan and Eurozone Central Banks are looking at ways to maintain economic growth, while the United States has completed its quantitative easing and is looking at the appropriate time to raise official interest rates.
Investor Education: How to better understand economic indicators
While one economic indicator is a statistic about economic activity, a range of economic indicators paint a picture of how the Australian economy is performing. They can also influence interest rates, exchange rates, commodity and stock market prices. Nick Ryder explains them in detail.
Your asset allocation guide – November 2014
While equity valuation measures imply US shares are about 60% overvalued versus long-term averages, returns could be as low at 0.2% per annum if valuations return to long-term averages. Therefore, as Nick Ryder explains, there’s a need to find additional sources of portfolio returns.
Investment Strategy: How to choose a managed fund
Managed funds offer an attractive way for investors to obtain exposure to an asset class that would be very difficult to access directly or in a diversified form. But how do you select one from the thousands on offer? Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, investigates.
Your asset allocation guide – October 2014
With the large fall in the Australian Dollar over the past month, we’re reminded that currencies are good “shock absorbers” in financial markets and the economy. We share some suggestions for how best to manage your portfolio in this changing environment.
Investment Strategy: Objective based investment strategies
People invest so they can have more money in the future than they have today. However, they have different objectives which generally fall into three categories: preserve capital; generate income and grow capital, as Nick Ryder, NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist reports.
Your asset allocation guide – September 2014
There are options to consider when allocating property to your portfolio. NAB Private Wealth aligns its views with those of institutional investors and favours core unlisted commercial property, with low to moderate gearing, rather than listed property securities or residential property.
Your asset allocation guide – August 2014
After deciding that US equity market valuations are over-stretched, we’ve changed our asset allocation recommendations. In particular, we’ve decreased our exposure to international shares from over-weight to neutral and increased our cash weighting from neutral to overweight.
Investment Strategy: Understanding equity income funds
Equity income funds are those which aim to generate income from investing in shares. But as NAB Private Wealth Investment Strategist, Nick Ryder reports, the issue is whether investors should care whether they get profits through dividends or capital gains.
Your asset allocation guide – July 2014
Even though equity prices are high compared to historical levels, we believe equity valuations are not excessive, so equities are still attractive compared to other asset classes. We provide insights on our favoured asset classes and how best to position your portfolio.
Your asset allocation guide – June 2014
The synchronised movement in bond and equity prices has many strategists wondering what is going on - both the bond market and equity market cannot be right about future growth. We provide insights on our favoured asset classes and how best to position your portfolio.
Monthly Financial Markets Update – June 2014
Last month, investors ignored mixed economic data and geopolitical risks to push the US share market to a record high, reports James Wright, Chief Investment Officer, JBWere. Read more to also find out what happened in currency markets and the residential property market from Nick Ryder