Market commentary

One of my favourite movies of all time was a 1994 commercial flop. A comedy directed by the otherwise hugely successful Coen Brothers. The Hudsucker Proxy follows Norville Barnes, a naive young man from Muncie, Indiana, who arrives in New York City with big dreams and an invention. Barnes lands a low-level mail-room job at Hudsucker Industries just as the company’s founder, who is also its president, commits suicide by jumping out of a window. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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Given the ructions in markets lately – addressing current market conditions, sentiment and their drivers is helpful and warranted.

It was the depth and scale of U.S. President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated tariffs that caught investors by surprise, as well as the tariffs’ calibration to trade deficits and the ambiguity around U.S. willingness to negotiate swiftly. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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For decades, it was wise to heed Warren Buffet’s observation that gold has no utility and that over any 100-year period, you will be better off owning income-producing assets. Gold, he said, can only be looked at and fondled. I have previously noted that gold is merely a bet on increasing fear and anxiety, and given these are sentiments, their shifts can be rapid and impossible to predict. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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Could it be possible that the markets are tumbling because Trump and his team can’t add, or worse, lied to hide a warped ideology?

President Donald Trump’s administration has rolled out sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” targeting over 180 countries in a move that has sent shockwaves through global financial markets and trade networks. Announced with typical Trump fanfare in the White House Rose Garden on 4 April 2025, Trump wielded a chart (Table 1) to underscore his point, claiming his measures would level the playing field and end decades of the U.S. being “ripped off” by its trading partners. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary.

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On the surface, evidence shows that the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) may be at a crossroads. Companies like James Hardie are jumping ship for U.S. primary listings, Australian investors are piling into American stocks, and local unicorns like Canva might not even glance at the ASX for their big initial public offering (IPO) debut. It’s not a collapse – yet; remember, Guzman Y Gomez (ASX:GYG) chose Australia over a U.S. listing – but the cracks are starting to show. Is the ASX in trouble or just stuck in a tough spot? continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary.

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I recently met with a young investor and trader, who was just beginning their market journey. During our conversation, he noted he was currently biased towards a market correction but was waiting for a catalyst.

The idea that a catalyst is required for a stock market correction is a flawed one. Corrections can occur without an apparent trigger – just ask those people still debating the cause of the 1987 crash (also known as Black Monday), a severe unexpected stock market crash leading to a worldwide loss of ~US$1.71 trillion).

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by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has embarked on what some say is a belligerent and dangerous mission to upend and reshape the international economic and competitive landscape through a series of aggressive tariff policy changes. His approach which is characterised by sudden shifts and strategic reversals, aims to bolster American manufacturing and fill government coffers. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary.

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It hasn’t been widely reported (which could, of course, mean I am about to repeat the common mistake of reading too much into a central banker’s utterances), but earlier in March, Federal Reserve Chairman, Jerome Powell, dropped a subtle remark that may shed light on the central bank’s mindset. As the Federal Reserve heads into its meeting this week, Powell’s words may also carry weight for the unpredictable economic road ahead. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary.

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In this week’s video insight, I explore the three key influences of market performance – inflation, economic growth, and liquidity – and how they can adversely or positively affect the market. In January and February this year we have already seen; the launch of a Chinese LLM (Large Language Model) which created waves in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) space, Trump’s imposition of tariffs (across China, Canada, Mexio and Europe), rising inflation, and increased geopolitical tension. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary, Video Insights.

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It’s been a record run for stocks. The past two years delivered historic returns for global and U.S. stocks. Indeed, the 24- months ending 31 December 2024 ranks as one of the top 10 two-year periods since the middle of last century. continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Companies, Global markets, Market commentary.

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