$A heading to heights of US90c

Original article by Aaron Patrick
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 19-Oct-16

Jason Thomas of The Carlyle Group is bullish about the outlook for the Australian dollar. The director of research forecasts that the US dollar will fall by 8-15 per cent over the next five years, as US interest rates are unlikely to rise as quickly as anticipated. Thomas says this in turn will boost the value of the Australian dollar, which could rise to around $US0.85 over the next five years. He adds that the currency could potentially test the $US0.90 level.

CORPORATES
THE CARLYLE GROUP, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF CHICAGO, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX

Easy money era coming to an end

Original article by Vesna Poljak
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 10 : 18-Dec-15

The Australian sharemarket rose on 17 December 2015, in response to the US Federal Reserve’s decision to increase interest rates from historic lows. However, the Australian dollar lost ground in local trading, while the US dollar gained 0.95 per cent. Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve has given indications that there could potentially be four interest rate increases in 2016, although Mark Bayley of AquAsia has questioned whether there will be scope for such aggressive monetary policy tightening. Many analysts believe that two rate rises are more likely.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, AQUASIA PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, SCHRODER INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WELLS FARGO BANK

US stocks rise on Fed rate hike

Original article by Chelsey Dulaney
The Australian – Page: Online : 17-Dec-15

The US Federal Reserve has increased the federal funds rate by 25 basis points at its monetary policy meeting in mid-December 2015. It is the first rise in US short-term interest rates since December 2008. Investors will now be seeking guidance from Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen on the likely timing of further rate increases. The move to tighten monetary policy has bolstered Wall Street, while the gold price and the US dollar have also risen.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, NASDAQ COMPOSITE INDEX, O’NEILL SECURITIES, NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE, EURO STOXX 50 INDEX