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DelphiNews February 2015

I’m pleased to enclose the latest edition of DelphiNews.

Market Update

With the exception of the US, global equity markets continued to gain traction throughout January. This is due to lower oil prices, lower interest rates and improved consumer confidence.

The USD continues to gain ground against most currencies which reinforces the strength of the US economy. The Eurozone economy remains weak which has resulted in the ECB announcing a €60b per month quantitative easing program.

Oil prices continued to decline throughout January – down by 9.4%, representing a decline of 47% over the past 4 months.

China reported a GDP growth of 7.4% which did not meet the Government’s forecast rate for 2014 whilst Japanese manufacturing activity showed growth again in January.

Domestically, the AUD continues to decline against the major currencies and the RBA cut the cash rate by 25bps to 2.25% at its recent meeting in February.

Economic Update

In the latest Update, Brian Parker, Head of Portfolio Specialists Group at MLC, reviews events in Australian and Overseas markets during January. Brian notes that share prices rose in most of the world markets over the month. And that here in Australia economic data was generally better than expected. He also provides an explanation for the positioning of MLC's Inflation Plus Portfolios.

The Sandwich Generation

Caring for two generations at once can create new financial pressure on your household — the article below provides suggestions on how to lighten the load.

Retirement Planning

Most of us have an idea of what we want when we retire. However sometimes there is not a great deal of planning beforehand!

We are therefore offering a limited number of opportunities for you to refer a friend or family member for a complimentary Retirement Strategy & Planning Session. This will involve an inital phone discussion, followed by a face to face meeting and finally a comprehensive written plan.

If you know someone who would be interested in this offer, please first discuss it with them and seek their agreeement for me to contact them personally to establish their goals and objectives.

Please contact us to discuss this offer or if you have any questions regarding this month's articles.

 

Regards

Vince Dore CFP
Director