Westpac Banking Corp
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Australian Unemployment Fell: Is More Easing Needed?
The Australian Bureau of Statistics published the employment report for July on August 18, 2016. The unemployment rate fell by 0.1% to 5.7%.
Investment-Grade Bond Fund Flows Rose Slightly Last Week
According to Lipper funds flow data, investment-grade bond funds saw net inflows of $2.52 billion during the week ending August 10.
Westpac Banking Issued the Most High-Grade Bonds Last Week
Westpac Banking Corporation (WBK) issued Aa2/AA- rated high-grade bonds worth $5.0 billion via five parts on August 11, 2016.
Australian Dollar Rose despite the RBA’s Monetary Easing Measures
The RBA (Reserve Bank of Australia) cut the cash rate by 25 basis points to a record low of 1.5% in the monetary policy meeting on Tuesday.
Australian Data Disappoints: Does It Point to Easing by the RBA?
The Australian approvals were published ahead of the RBA’s monetary policy. Building approvals fell by 2.9% on a month-over-month basis.
How Does the Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund Allocate Its Portfolio?
The Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund invests 80% of its assets in stocks and bonds of companies located in Asia and the Pacific Basin.
Tech Stocks Have Helped the Invesco Pacific Growth Fund in 2016
The Invesco Pacific Growth Fund – Class A (TGRAX) has been an above average performer.
How the BlackRock Pacific Fund’s Portfolio Has Shifted in 2016
The BlackRock Pacific Fund uses a combination of bottom-up stock picking and top-down macro analysis while constructing its portfolio.
Why You Might Reconsider Investing in the BlackRock Pacific Fund
From a purely net asset value return standpoint, the (BlackRock Pacific Fund Investor A Shares) MDPCX figured among the bottom three funds in its peer group in 1Q16.
How Did the Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund Fare in 1Q16?
The Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund Class A’s (CASAX) quantitative metrics for 2015 placed it among the top three funds. For 1Q16, both its alpha and information ratios were the second best among its peers.
Quantitative Metrics Don’t Favor CAJAX
CAJAX is invested into stocks of companies such as Tencent Holdings, Westpac Banking, Lenovo Group, Korea Electric Power, and CNOOC.
Fast Facts about CAJAX
CAJAX aims to invest 80% of its net assets in securities of companies located in the Asia-Pacific region, excluding Japan.
Performance Breakdown of the BlackRock Pacific Fund (MPCX)
In NAV (net asset value) terms, in the one-year period ending January 2016, the BlackRock Pacific Fund (MDPCX) came in seventh among our nine funds.
Meet the BlackRock Pacific Fund (MDPCX)
The BlackRock Pacific Fund (MDPCX) invests at least 80% of its net assets in equities of companies located in Far Eastern or Western Pacific countries.
Performance Breakdown of the Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund (CASAX)
In terms of NAV (net asset value), Columbia Pacific/Asia Fund (CASAX) has been an average performer among the nine funds we’ll be looking at in this series.
Australian Dollar Fell as RBA Maintained Policy Rate with Dovish Bias
The Australian dollar ended on a lower note against the US dollar on February 2, 2016, after gaining early in the session as the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to keep interest rates unchanged at 2.0%.
What’s in Store for the Australian Dollar in 2016?
The Australia dollar is heavily linked to commodity prices and the Chinese economy, which is the major source of demand for Australian exports.
Australian Dollar Rises on Strong Jobs Data
The Australian dollar to the US dollar currency pair was on a positive bias on December 10, 2015.
Why the Australian Dollar Fell after Initial Rally
The Australian dollar to US dollar currency pair rose to a high of 0.73 after the positive Australian GDP numbers.
Introducing the Commonwealth Australia/New Zealand Fund
The Commonwealth Australia/New Zealand Fund generally invests at least 80% of its assets in securities tied economically to Australia and New Zealand.
Australian Dollar Soared Due to Strong Jobs Data
The Australian dollar-US dollar currency pair continued on an upward trajectory on November 12, 2015. The pair ended the day at 0.71 levels.
Australian Dollar Rises on Strong Growth in Consumer Sentiment
The Australian dollar–US dollar currency pair rose to a high of close to 0.708 yesterday before closing the day at 0.706. The pair rose by about 0.4% on the day.
G10 Currencies Rise as the US Dollar Index Falls
The US Dollar Index tracks the strength of the US dollar against a basket of currencies. It was trading on a weaker note on September 17, 2015.
G10 Currencies Gain as US Dollar Index Sinks
The G10 currencies were impacted positively as the US dollar index dropped in value in the two weeks ending August 21, 2015.
Analyzing Government Debt and Savings in Asia-Pacific Countries
Singapore has very high levels of government debt compared to its GDP. All other nations under review have a manageable debt-to-GDP ratio.
What Do Key Metrics Say about Asia-Pacific Countries?
The GDPs of the three developed economies in the Asia-Pacific region that we’re considering are expected to rise between 2.8% and 3.4% in each year from 2015 to 2017.
