DelphiNews March 2016

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

Market Update

Global equity markets continued to correct through February but staged an early March recovery and Oil prices staged a strong recovery from mid-February – up 37%.

US economic data continued to improve, whilst in China economic data continued to consolidate and target minimum growth of 6.5%.

In the Eurozone the February manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) was a little weaker than January’s data, and the Markit manufacturing PMI index was down at 51.2 in February, from 52.3 in January.

Back home the Australian non mining sector continued a solid recovery, and the RBA maintained the cash rate at 2.0% at its early March meeting.

Economic Update

In the latest Economic Update, John Owen Portfolio Specialist at MLC, reviews events in Australian and Overseas markets during February. John notes after a disappointing start to the new calendar year when share markets recorded large falls in January, the investment landscape in February was another challenging one for investors.

In Australia, economic data was mixed. Consumer confidence improved in February, reversing falls in the previous two months, yet retail sales data for December was weaker than expected. Fourth quarter private capital spending was higher than expected, but forward estimates were disappointing, due in part to falling mining investment.

A few interesting facts about retiring

Given the financial demands of everyday life, planning your retirement may be a relatively low priority. You may also think that you have plenty of time to plan. But before you put off planning for your retirement any longer, here are some key facts you should consider.

Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your financial requirements or this month's articles.

Regards

Vince Dore CFP
Director