Last week was another good one for global sharemarkets, with further highs for indices in the US and Japan, and solid performances elsewhere too. The key event was the Reserve Bank decision here in New Zealand, where the Official Cash Rate was left unchanged and forecasts suggested the next move will be down. Looking ahead, the key economic release will be the US monthly jobs report on Friday, which is the last ahead of the March Federal Reserve meeting. Speaking of the Fed, Chair Jerome Powell will be in focus on Wednesday and Thursday when he testifies to the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee respectively. It’s also a big week on the political front, with ‘Super Tuesday’ as well as the State of the Union address from President Biden.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.