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Halloween

FRIGHT SIGHTS FOR FRIGHT NIGHT

STICKING POINTS: Tricky ideas are quite the treat when it comes to Halloween. Designed especially for the spookiest night of the year, Wallsauce’s Halloween murals really do come to the party.

No one trick ponies, these ‘peel and stick’ decorations can be quickly applied, then just as easily, removed and stored for next All Hallows’ Eve.

What’s more, as with any good scary movie, we can let our imaginations run wild as Wallsauce can make murals to order based on stills from horror flicks or even our own photos.

This UK-based company takes orders from anywhere in the world. Visit www.wallsauce for details.

IT’S A LITTLE BIT bunny…

WILD CHILD: It might not be PC to refer to children as ‘little monkeys’ but they’re not exactly tame; in a way, that’s definitely a good thing too!

From their ‘top of the hops’ Mr Bunny and ‘roaringly’ popular Dino beds to rugs and other animal-themed ‘creature comforts’, Circu takes us on a wild ride.

Although Circu is based in Portugal, furniture and accessories can be ordered online – details via www.circu.net – and shipped to New Zealand.

RISKS & OPPORTUNITIES

New Zealand’s latest Covid-19 outbreak will create both risks and opportunities for investors. The Delta variant is significantly more infectious than earlier variants and has become the dominant strain of Covid-19 around the world.

There is good news and bad news for New Zealand investors. The good news is vaccines are still proving to provide a high level of protection against new variants meaning, whilst they might slow the global economic reopening, they hopefully shouldn’t derail it.

The bad news – The percentage of the New Zealand’s population who are fully vaccinated is behind many other countries.

HOW CONCERNED SHOULD INVESTORS BE?

The answer is it depends on what you’re worrying about. With regards to your investment portfolio, we believe not that much.

There is a risk that a new variant emerges that is highly contagious, vaccine resistant, and/or more deadly. But (1) current vaccines are proving very effective, and (2) it appears likely vaccine producers will be able to adapt to new variants. We believe the chance that new variants derail the reopening of the global economy, and therefore global share markets, is low.

In New Zealand a prolonged outbreak would shut big parts of our economy, and impact economically-exposed sectors and companies. The recent about-turn decision by the Reserve Bank to hold off raising interest rates highlights just how uncertain and changeable the outlook can be in a Covid-19 world.

The silver lining for investors, however, is the New Zealand share market is dominated by defensive companies in sectors like healthcare, utilities, telecommunications, and consumer staples. The earnings of these companies are less affected by the economic environment.

The recent outbreak is also a local concern. At the time of writing global sharemarkets continue to trend up. This reflects the ongoing progress countries are making in implementing vaccination rollouts, the easing of Covid-19 restrictions and broad economic recovery. Throughout this period many global business have continued to grow their profitability providing positive returns for investors.

All our Investment Advisers and staff are equipped to provide uninterrupted service to you. While our local offices are closed, our Investment Advisers can be contacted in the usual manner during normal business hours.

For a no obligation discussion contact your local Forsyth Barr Investment Adviser, Pam Cussen, David Morgan or Mark Steele, on 09 368 0170 or 0800 367 227, or visit their office (closed at Covid levels 3/4) at Highbrook Business Park, 60 Highbrook Drive, East Tamaki.

This column is general in nature and does not take any of your personal circumstances into account. For personalised financial advice, contact Forsyth Barr for an overview of the services we can provide.

Local focus, global view

If you are considering your current investment arrangements and want professional local service, backed by leading international and New Zealand research, market data and investment experience call David Morgan, Mark Steele, or Pam Cussen on (09) 368 0170 or visit their office at Highbrook Business Park, 60 Highbrook Drive, East Tamaki.