Oil jumps above US$107 as Asia sells off, Fed and BOJ rate decisions now collide with a fresh energy shock Markets are opening the week under renewed pressure. Brent crude has jumped about 3% to above US$107 , Asian equities are falling sharply, and U.S. Treasury yields remain close to 5%. At the same time, investors are preparing for possible rate hikes from both the Federal Reserve and Bank of Japan this week . For investors, the central question has become: Can central banks contain inflation without causing a much larger slowdown when energy prices are surging at the same time? 30-second market snapshot Market / Asset Latest 🇺🇸 S&P 500 7,656.98, +0.86% Friday 🇺🇸 Dow Jones +0.98% Friday 🇺🇸 Nasdaq +0.96% Friday 🇲🇾 FBM KLCI 1,686.74, -1.10% Friday 🇯🇵 Nikkei -1.7% Monday morning 🇰🇷 Kospi -3.3% Monday morning 🌏 MSCI Asia ex-Japan -0.8% 🛢️ Brent crude ~US$107.36, +2.6% 🛢️ WTI crude ~US$102.48, +2.4% 🇺🇸 U.S. 10Y Treasury ~4.97% 🥇 Gold ~US$4,336...
After a resilient economy in the year 2012, we are now in 2013 and I'm thinking that we have yet to see the worst from 2012. I'm not sure that whether global economy will be getting worse or getting better, however I know it myself that own economy might turn bad if inflation continue to go up, while salary maintaining slightly higher or the same. Hence, this year, I will set a rather defensive financial resolution sort of to protect the capital, while having slight growth over the year in line with the inflation.The target growth of the stocks portfolio is expected to be about 10%, with the growth mainly in the dividend stocks and oversea stocks. As almost everyone in the country are expecting there will be a slight correction in stock market due to the General Election which is due to held this year, I won't be allocating some portion from the salary to the stock market, at least until second half of the year. Instead, the money will go to the house loan first -...