Interest rates likely to stay higher for longer

Interest rates likely to stay higher for longer By Vanguard Markets and economy Navigating volatility The recent rate hike suggests that the Reserve Bank of Australia is prepared to move policy into more restrictive territory As widely expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lifted the cash rate by 25 basis points to 4.1% at…

Private credit’s third act: Reconnecting with banks

Private credit’s third act: Reconnecting with banks By Ankul Daga, Vanguard Head of Private Markets Portfolios and Brian Kim, Vanguard Co-Head of Active High Yield Credit and Head of Active High Yield Credit Research Markets and economy   Understanding how market maturity is reshaping private risk credit Private credit has moved from the edge of…

Our investment and economic outlook, February 2026

Our investment and economic outlook, February 2026 By Vanguard Markets and economy Our latest forecasts for investment returns and region-by-region economic outlook   Australia A rate hike after a short easing cycle “With the economy operating near full capacity and inflation proving persistent, the Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to lean more heavily into…

Higher geopolitical risk premiums support commodities

Higher geopolitical risk premiums support commodities By Fei Xu, Vanguard Commodity Strategy Fund Portfolio Manager, and Kevin Khang, Vanguard Senior Global Economist Markets and economy   Commodities delivered strong headline returns in 2025. Yet, beneath the surface, this rally was quite uneven—precious metals rose by roughly 80%, while the remainder of the Bloomberg Commodity Index…

Why the AI playbook may have fewer technology stocks

Why the AI playbook may have fewer technology stocks By Vanguard Markets and economy The AI megatrend is likely to trigger a stocks rotation over the medium term Most of us have heard of the so-called “Magnificent Seven” U.S. technology stocks – Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet (Google), NVIDIA, Meta Platforms, and Tesla. Collectively, because of…

The borrowing fallout from higher-for-longer rates

The borrowing fallout from higher-for-longer rates By Vanguard Markets and economy   Lenders are likely to start passing through the RBA’s rate rise fairly quickly In lifting its official cash rate by 0.25% back to 3.85% last week, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) sent a clear signal that Australian borrowers should expect higher interest…

Have you checked your portfolio today?

Have you checked your portfolio today? By Vanguard Markets and economy Rather than worrying about day-to-day price movements, focus here instead If you checked on the status of your investment portfolio today, don’t worry. You’re definitely not alone. In fact, you may have looked at how your various investment holdings are faring multiple times by…

Our investment and economic outlook, January 2026

Our investment and economic outlook, January 2026 By Vanguard Markets and economy Our latest forecasts for investment returns and region-by-region economic outlook   Australia A modest easing path amid prolonged disinflation “Labour market tightness and subdued productivity growth will keep upward pressure on unit labour costs, prolonging the disinflation process.” Grant Feng, Vanguard Senior Economist…

How to invest your next dollar

How to invest your next dollar By Kevin Khang, Vanguard Senior Global Economist Markets and economy   An emerging equity rotation and its drivers January is a time when interest runs high in investment return outlooks and asset allocation for the coming year. We’ve repeatedly heard three questions related to the recently published Vanguard Economic and…

Our investment and economic outlook, November 2025

Our investment and economic outlook, November 2025 By Vanguard Markets and economy   Our latest forecasts for investment returns and region-by-region economic outlook   Australia Stalling disinflation keeps monetary policy on hold “A stronger-than-expected third-quarter inflation print diminishes the likelihood that inflation will serve as a catalyst for further policy easing in the near term.”…