Markets priced for 'perfection' in 2018
!["Markets have priced in a whole lot of perfection," LPL Financial's Lenore Hawkins said.](http://web.archive.org./web/20180107092507im_/http://www.afr.com/content/dam/images/h/0/e/b/m/y/image.related.afrIndexLeadWide.460x260.h0ec94.gshfrb.png/1515301301118.jpg)
Rising investor confidence in the outlook for the global economy continues to propel equities to multi-year and record highs.
Rising investor confidence in the outlook for the global economy continues to propel equities to multi-year and record highs.
The story of 2017 was how markets shrugged off everything geopolitics could throw at them. Can the synchronised growth across regions last?
Infrastructure projects are a key factor driving up the value of houses. Here are some sweet spots for property gains.
Like Australia, Norway's housing market has started to reverse in recent months, after a period of rapid growth in house prices and mortgage debt.
Donald Trump just dove headfirst into a question that many won't go near: Is he OK? These people have raised doubts.
The tastiest long and short investment ideas for the year suggest the longs have the edge in 2018.
Donald Trump has that he was perfectly sane and accused his critics of raising questions to score political points.
Intel's CEO bringing his stock holdings to a five-year low has captured attention thanks to revelations that Intel chips are potentially vulnerable to hackers.
Billabong's board, including founder and former Rich List member Gordon Merchant, has agreed to back a $380 million bid to buy the company.
Embattled retailer Steinhoff is in discussions with a potential buyer of a 2006 Gulfstream G550 private jet, the company confirmed.
Former Liberal MP Mal Washer the ASX-listed medical cannabis company he chairs, AusCann, is "light years" ahead of competitors.
A group of Quintis investors are agitating to unseat the board's three most senior members and are seeking an EGM.
Investors love to complain that asset prices are too high, but they have only themselves to blame.
Oil prices dropped over the weekend from highs last seen in 2015, as soaring US production undermined a 10 per cent rally.
"We're in a pretty good situation: the economy is doing great, everyone expects us to raise rates gradually."
If the global upturn is only just getting started, which is my central case, 2018 could look a lot like 2017. In this context, it's instructive to reflect on asset-class performance over the last 12 months.
In a nutshell: the RBA will be right, Wall Street will get the wobbles and Aussie shares will get the better of US stocks.
Enzo Ferrari, the founder of luxury car maker Ferrari, would be turning in his grave if he knew that the company he founded planned to succumb to stock market pressure and build a range of sport utility vehicles.
Nearly 20 years after the republic was buried as an issue, it could be back in play.
Business profits should flow through to wage growth and improved consumer spending. But there are structural challenges.
Rising company profits should help end low wages growth, Malcolm Turnbull's new IR minister says.
Uber has secured a rare win in the first major Australian ruling on whether its drivers are employees or independent contractors.
If we really want to replace the monarch, there are better options than the ones that have been proposed so far.
Community leaders have lashed Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton over their comments on African gang violence.
The confidence gap between downbeat consumers and upbeat businesses should narrow, as economists tip a return to healthy wage growth.
China's banking regulator has introduced new measures to increase scrutiny on investments in commercial lenders
Barnes is retreating to being a straightforward book merchant but the chain has so far not been able to demonstrate that its core business is stabilising.
Premier League football clubs should cut ticket prices to help the "right communities" attend matches, according to Vincent Kompany
The controversial new book about Donald Trump's White House contains titillating details on everything from how he does his hair to his extra marital affairs.
​President Moon Jae-in of South Korea said he would push aggressively for peace with North Korea in a bid to check concerns he might concede too easily.
If the global upturn is only just getting started, which is my central case, 2018 could look a lot like 2017. In this context, it's instructive to reflect on asset-class performance over the last 12 months.
Bitcoin may be gaining currency in property deals overseas but there are potential capital gains tax implications in Australia.
This can be a way to get more towards a deposit but you'll need to get your trust deed sorted.
An organised crime investigator will head the government's building industry watchdog after Nigel Hadgkiss was forced to quit.
Australian scientists have taken a key step towards developing a vaccine against malaria.
The Vanity Fair Diaries stands with Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities as reminders of an era sick with excess and set for disaster.
Warren Buffett believes US children will have a better standard of living than their parents though the divide between rich and poor must be addressed.
Well into the last slice of life, an 88-year-old decides it was time to step off the conveyor belt to decrepitude and embrace adventure.
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