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ClearBridge American Energy MLP Fund, Inc.

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Allstate

Statoil ASA Sponsored

iShares MSCI Australia ETF

EWA tracks a market-cap-weighted index of Australian stocks.

Australian stocks have underperformed this year. Unlike its developed market peers, however, Australia's rate hike cycle is far from over. Ahead of a challenging year ahead, market pricing seems far too optimistic at these levels.

EWA: Extended Monetary Tightening Looms Large In Australia

Franklin FTSE Australia ETF

Australian economic growth momentum has softened during 2023 due to the cumulative impact of monetary policy tightening since May 2022. The Judo Bank Flash Australia Composite PMI Output Index for October 2023 posted below the 50.0 no-change mark for the third time in the past four months.

Australian Economic Growth Moderates Due To Tighter Monetary Policy

Invesco CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust

Australian Consumer Price Index (CPI) surprises with higher-than-expected inflation, potentially leading to a restart of the Reserve Bank of Australia's hiking cycle. RBA projections for inflation may need to be revised as GDP and labor market data remain strong, putting pressure on the central bank to deliver another rate hike.

Australia Inflation: Too High To Ignore

While this is mostly down to less helpful base effects, international energy prices and excise duty hikes, it is not safe to conclude that the RBA rate cycle has peaked. At 5.2% YoY, the August inflation figures were bang in line with expectations.

Australia: Inflation Back On The Rise

2Q23 GDP was stronger than expected, and revisions to past data also show the economy has slowed less than was previously assumed. The quarter-on-quarter growth was also a bit stronger at 0.4% (ING f 0.2%), but it was revisions to the back data that made most of the difference to the annual growth rate.

Australia: GDP Holding Up Better Than Expected

iShares MSCI New Zealand ETF

iShares MSCI France ETF

iShares MSCI South Africa ETF

The Rugby Union World Cup starts in France on September 8. Prepare for several weeks of sweaty scrums, rambunctious rucks and muscular mauls.

The Rugby World Cup starts this week. But who would be the investment winners?

The headline inflation rate has now fallen below 5% which will encourage thoughts that the RBA tightening cycle has peaked. We did see the housing component rise by 1.3% over the previous month, up from 0.3% MoM in June.

Australia: Rate Hike Forecast Is Hanging By A Thread

iShares MSCI Australia ETF has had a disappointing year, down -2% YTD compared to the positive returns of the Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF. The macro backdrop for Australian equities is uncertain, with GDP growth slowing and household spending declining. The asset quality of Aussie banks will likely worsen on account of a substantial rollover of low-cost fixed rate mortgages over the next two years.

EWA ETF: Wait On The Sidelines

iShares MSCI Denmark ETF

iShares MSCI Germany ETF

iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF

iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF

iShares MSCI Singapore ETF

Johnson & Johnson

Microsoft

Global X MSCI Norway ETF

Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund

In light of Fitch Ratings' downgrade of U.S. credit, investors might be interested in identifying companies and countries that still hold the desirable 'AAA' credit rating.

Looking to Bet On Perfect AAA Credit Ratings? Play These ETFs

iShares MSCI United Kingdom ETF

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Canada ETF

iShares MSCI Canada ETF

iShares MSCI United Kingdom Small Cap ETF

First Trust United Kingdom AlphaDEX Fund

Franklin FTSE Canada ETF

Franklin FTSE United Kingdom ETF

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Canada ETF

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI United Kingdom ETF

Australia and Canada are experiencing a surge in population growth, while growth rates have slowed substantially in the UK due to post-Brexit frictions. The robust population growth is allowing Australia and Canada to generate stronger jobs gains without causing a tighter labor markets and strong wage growth.

The Economics Of Immigration: The U.K. Vs. Australia And Canada

Pausing for a second consecutive meeting, today's rate decision is in line with some better inflation data this month and means the Bank can respond to future data events with less fear of overdoing the tightening. The labour data wasn't exactly soft, but it wasn't super-strong either, and the unemployment rate, while still very low, was stable from the previous month.

Reserve Bank of Australia Takes Another Breather

The iShares MSCI Australia ETF offers exposure to Australian stocks with high dividend yields, currently above 6%, making it a suitable addition for income-oriented investors. The Australian economy is heavily based on mining and commodities, with major trading partners in Asia, but this comes with risks such as global recession, economic slowdowns, and geopolitical tensions. The fund also has exposure to Australia's financial and real estate markets, which have been very strong historically.

EWA: Time To Head To Australia For High Yields

Australia, and EWA by extension, had long been a permanent fixture in my portfolio that had served me well. However, as 2023 got underway, I moved into what I thought were greener pastures. I surmised continued geo-political risks in Asia would trickle "down under".

EWA: I Was Wrong - Australia Continues To Be An Effective Diversifier (Rating Upgrade)

The iShares MSCI Australia ETF offers investors a low-cost vehicle to access Australian large and mid-cap equities. In addition to the income appeal, the ETF is poised to benefit from commodities-driven global tailwinds and a more resilient domestic economy in the near term.

iShares MSCI Australia ETF: A Worthy Portfolio Addition

Australia's economy is showing clear signs of slowing and will drop further in 2023. House price growth appears to be on the cusp of turning negative and provides a rationale for a peak cash rate at the relatively low level of 3.6%.

The Reasons Why Australia's Economy Is Slowing

I used EWA as a relative hedge against U.S. equities this year. Generally, I was okay with the result, as it declined by less than the S&P 500. Despite a reasonable valuation and high dividend yield, I see some macro-risks that make me reluctant to own this exposure in the short-term.

EWA: I'm Giving Up On Australia As We Enter 2023

JPMorgan BetaBuilders Japan ETF

Xtrackers MSCI Japan Hedged Equity ETF

WisdomTree Japan SmallCap Dividend Fund

WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund

WisdomTree Japan Hedged SmallCap Equity Fund

iShares MSCI Japan ETF

iShares MSCI Japan Value ETF

First Trust Japan AlphaDEX Fund

Franklin FTSE Japan Hedged ETF

Franklin FTSE Japan ETF

Goldman Sachs ActiveBeta Japan Equity ETF

iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Japan ETF

iShares JPX-Nikkei 400 ETF

iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF

The latest flash PMI data showed that Australia's private sector economy shrank for the first time since the start of the year in October.

Flash PMIs Show Renewed Contraction Of Australian Economy In October, Japan's Service Sector Powers Growth

The release of the Australia flash PMI on the 24th of October will be eagerly awaited after recent PMI survey data, compiled by S&P Global, signalled that inflationary pressures remained a major risk to the health of Australia's private sector economy. Record rates of input cost and output price inflation were recorded by the Australia PMI surveys only very recently, in April and July of this year, respectively.

Australian Economy Under Pressure Amid Strong Inflation, But Signs Of Price Peak Appear

There is a lot of financial exposure, particularly in banking, in the EWA. Some of it is full-service banking, which is somewhat more mixed but ultimately well positioned for volatility. The rest are more traditional financials.

EWA Isn't The Best Way To Play Financials

The iShares ASX 200 Australia ETF (IOZ or EWA) offers a simple and easy way to get broad exposure to the top 200 listed companies in Australia. Valuation looks very attractive on a current P/E of 15.13 and a dividend yield of 5.89%.

2022 Bear Market Bargains Series - iShares Core S&P/ASX 200 ETF

The construction industry has not been so resilient. The ongoing shrinkage has meant that the construction sector in Australia has not meaningfully contributed to Australian GDP growth since 2018.

Deconstructing The Australian Construction Industry

EWA has been beating the S&P 500 since my review in late January. Looking ahead, I continue to see merit to holding positions. The fund has a lot of banking exposure, which is a sector that will benefit from the central bank's decision to increase interest rates.

EWA: Australia Still Looks Investable

The commodity narrative has been very useful for EWA and the Aussie dollar's prospects. Australia is poised to vote in May and the RBA could lift rates by June, something that was not expected until recently.

iShares MSCI Australia ETF: The Good And The Bad

The iShares Australia ASX200 Fund is up 2.6% in 2022 with Australia benefiting from higher commodity prices and re-opening the borders and business after COVID-19. Russia and Ukraine's loss is Australia's gain. A look at what drives the Australian economy.

News for iShares MSCI Australia ETF ETF (EWA)