Learn about the 5 financial love languages and how they impact your money management. Discover your own language and improve your financial communication with your partner.

This note takes a look at some of the main questions investors have in a simple Q&A format, particularly around tariffs, the RBA and gold.

The week was dominated by ongoing announcements from the Trump administration. After only being in office for 2½ weeks Trump and his team have been busy making changes (not including legislation which requires votes from the House and Senate) and appear much more coordinated compared to 2017. This week’s changes included everything from tariffs (more on that below), Elon Musk’s D.O.G.E department shedding Federal workers, a dismantling in USAID and Trumps plans for the US to rebuild Gaza.

The AI sector has grown, in its value and its proven usefulness with many companies slowly embracing AI tools to help with menial tasks, as well as spending more on computer chips and data centres.

Find out about the First Home Owner Grant (FHOG) and the eligibility criteria for first time buyers in your state or territory.

Global shares were mixed over the last week. US shares fell 1% as tech shares fell on the back of the rise of DeepSeek’s AI app and a less dovish Fed and Trump’s tariff vows weighed. Japanese shares fell 0.9%, but Eurozone shares rose 1.3% to a record high helped by a dovish rate cut from the ECB. Australian shares also surged to a record high on the back of expectations for a February rate cut after lower-than-expected inflation data helped by the market’s low exposure to AI related tech stocks.

Why has the unemployment rate remained low?

Global and Australian shares rose over the last week to record or near record levels as newly inaugurated President Trump talked big about boosting the US economy, provided no negative surprises and there was a lack of detail regarding his tariffs.

The key things to watch for 2025 are: the outlook for iron ore prices, the Australian dollar, and Trump's impact on tariffs.

Shares mostly rose over the last week helped by lower-than-expected underlying inflation in the US which boosted confidence that the Fed was still on track to continue cutting interest rates this year.

The key things to watch for 2025 are: interest rates; recession risk; a likely trade war; China; and the Australian consumer.

The Econosights team have looked back at the year that was in markets and cast our eye over what the New Year may hold for investors. We have put together a “Wishlist” for 2025 of the top 5 things we hope will happen.