Craigs Investment Partners (“Craigs” or “the Firm”), a leading wealth management firm in New Zealand, today announced that TA Associates (“TA”), a leading global private equity firm, has signed a conditional agreement to make a strategic investment in the Firm.  Under the agreement, Craigs’ existing employee and director shareholders will retain 50 percent ownership of…

While cash is often viewed as a safe haven, from a purchasing power perspective it is one of the riskiest asset classes around. The reason for this centres around inflation and the impact this has on the spending power of your savings. Inflation can have a significant impact on the spending power of your savings…

Kiwibank has been in the news again, with the Government announcing it will consider tapping KiwiSaver funds and other large investors for another $500 million of capital. Our state-owned bank has long been touted as a candidate for an initial public offering (IPO), which means a sharemarket listing which would make it available to anyone…

There’s plenty to monitor across the world this week. Flash PMIs for December will be out early in the week, while another highlight will be the PCE inflation report in the US on Friday. There are three major central banks meetings taking place, with the Federal Reserve in the US expected to cut interest rates…

The S&P 500 index reached another all-time high recently, leading many investors to question if now is really the best time to invest new money into the market. Markets reaching all-time highs is not a signal for an imminent pull-back Investors should not be alarmed by the fact some markets are reaching new-all-time highs. Long…

Financial markets are difficult to predict, especially over short timeframes, and in investing terms 12 months is extremely short. I don’t have a lot of faith in forecasts, predictions or targets, so it’s a bit hypocritical of me to be offering them. However, I have equally little time for analysts that sit firmly on the…

This week the global highlight will be the November CPI report in the US on Wednesday. This will be closely watched as investors look ahead to the final Federal Reserve meeting of the year next week, where the central bank is expected to reduce interest rates another 0.25 per cent. Markets will also be watching…

Often we think we should postpone investing until we have more funds, fewer calls on our money, or better knowledge at our fingertips. But often the best time to invest is … now. No matter what the future brings, it’s time to make a plan. If the last decade has taught us anything, it’s that…

It’s been a good year for the local sharemarket. The NZX 50 index is up 11.0 per cent so far, which sees it on track for its best year in four. Most of our biggest companies have performed well, but one notable exception is Spark. It’s share price is down more than 40 per cent…

As we head towards the Christmas season, the NZX 50 is on track to post its best annual performance in four years. This comes despite the domestic economic backdrop continuing to splutter. Investors are looking beyond the current macro weakness, and position for an eventual recovery as the benefits of interest rate cuts flow through….