A picture speaks a thousand words…

A picture speaks a thousand words

Written by James Weir

James specialises in the theory and best practice of portfolio construction and management. His success within national and international investment banks led him to become a Co-Founder of Steward Wealth and he is a regular columnist for the Australian Financial Review.
November 28, 2017

Sometimes it’s easier to see things in pictures and the charts below give a basic but effective illustration of just what a purple patch most of the world’s major economies are in right now. After years of post-GFC stimulation, sweating over potential sovereign bond defaults, stressing about deflation and fretting about the risks of populist politics, basically all the charts are heading in the right direction at the moment… except maybe Australia’s.

They tell a reasonably consistent story of slow but positive GDP growth and strong consumer sentiment – what should be good conditions for financial markets.

 

US

A picture speaks a thousand words_chart1v2
A picture speaks a thousand words_chart3

European Union

A picture speaks a thousand words_chart4
A picture speaks a thousand words_chart5

Japan

A picture speaks a thousand words_chart6
A picture speaks a thousand words_chart7

China

A picture speaks a thousand words_chart8
A picture speaks a thousand words_chart9

Australia

A picture speaks a thousand words_chart10
A picture speaks a thousand words_chart11

UK

A picture speaks a thousand words_chart12
A picture speaks a thousand words_chart13

One thing to remember about charts: they’re great for showing where we’ve been, but they don’t necessarily tell us where we’re going.

This information is of a general nature only and nothing on this site should be taken as personal financial or investment advice, or a recommendation to buy or sell a particular product. You should also obtain a copy of and consider the Product Disclosure Statement before making any decision on a financial product. You should seek advice from Steward Wealth who can consider if the general advice is right for you.

Subscribe to our newsletter

All our latest news and insights at a glance. Subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates directly into your inbox.

Related Articles

InvestmentsMarkets and EconomyWealth Management
Is the US share market uninvestable?

Is the US share market uninvestable?

The US share market has continued the strong rally that started at the end of 2023. Bearish commentators are making comparisons to the dotcom boom, quote lingering concerns about the economy and point to the risk of being reliant on the mega cap tech stocks. But does all that worry overlook sound reasons for the ongoing rally? What do the fundamentals tell us?

Share This