SpaceX is about to become one of the largest listed companies in the world. The Elon Musk-founded business is expected to raise US$75 billion in its initial public offering (IPO) and debut with the sharemarket ticker code of SPCX and a valuation of almost US$1.8 trillion. That would place it among the biggest publicly traded…

It was a challenging end to the week on Wall Street, with the growth-heavy Nasdaq Composite index falling 4.2% on Friday, its biggest daily decline since April last year. The S&P 500 index in the US fell 2.6% for the week, breaking a nine-week winning streak. Shares in Europe, the UK and Japan were down…

Wherever you go in the world, it’s very common for investors to have a home bias. People tend to anchor their portfolio with what they know, which is the local market. Kiwis will often have a healthy exposure to New Zealand shares, Australians usually start with what’s on the ASX, and Americans are renowned for…

We’ve seen a lot of economic releases over the last several weeks including the consumers price index (CPI), retail sales and housing market data. However, the most important of all were probably the two from that covered inflation expectations. If you prefer to listen to a podcast episode on this topic:  Alternatively, search ‘On Point…

The US sharemarket has had a great run of late, rebounding strongly from the March lows and hitting fresh highs. The S&P 500 is up almost ten per cent in 2026 (including dividends), and we’re only a third of the way through the year. That’s impressive, especially given the volatility we’ve seen lately. If you…

The Reserve Bank meets later this month, and there’s an outside chance the Official Cash Rate (OCR) will rise by 0.25 per cent. If there’s no move this month, the focus will shift to the July meeting, where markets see an 0.25 per cent move as almost certain. That would be the first hike in…

Inflation is always a hot topic in financial markets, and it’ll be even more prominent as fuel prices push it higher over the next quarter or two. There’s a healthy cynicism about our official inflation figures, and many people would argue their own cost of living has increased more than these would suggest. If you…

The S&P 500 index in the US has increased for four consecutive weeks, rebounding strongly from the weakness in March. That leaves it up 13 per cent from the recent lows, and almost three per cent above its pre-conflict peak. You could be forgiven for wondering why the sharemarket is hitting new records, with oil…

With the war between the US and Iran entering its seventh week, we’re close to an important crossroads for markets. In the last several days we’ve had a ceasefire agreement, the highest-level diplomatic meetings between the two nations since the 1979 Iranian revolution, and US moves to blockade the Strait of Hormuz after talks failed….

If you’re lucky enough to have a bit of surplus cash right now, it’s a difficult time to think about putting it to work. Many dairy farmers will be fortunate enough to be in that position, with the sale of Mainland Group to Lactalis expected to settle within days. The $4.2 billion proceeds from the…