Experts weigh in on where they would be investing, amid a volatile market.
Photo:
RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Investment markets have been volatile in recent months.
Share prices have swung as markets digested the impact of Trump's tariffs.
But property prices are also relatively flat, and falling interest rates are reducing what people can make from money in the bank or term deposits.
So where should you put your money now?
RNZ asked a range of experts where they would be investing.
Murray Harris said the best thing to invest in was a well-diversified active managed fund.
"That is where KiwiSaver is such a good investment vehicle. The best way to build wealth is to have a long-term savings plan that you contribute to regularly and in a disciplined way.
"So, contributions to your KiwiSaver account every pay day means you don't have to worry about market volatility if you're in the right fund for your age and goal. Your regular contributions will buy you more units in your fund when markets are down, which you benefit from when markets recover, and those units increase in value … Volatility is your friend when making regular KiwiSaver contributions."
Mike Taylor said the best investment was in yourself.
"Use market volatility, uncertainty, and dislocation of asset prices to improve your knowledge and understanding of markets. There are countless podcasts to tune into, books to read, and of course, AI to help build your knowledge."
Steve Goodey said the Auckland property market could be an option.
"Whenever I've looked at the property market over the last 20 or 25 years, the Auckland market has pretty much always been booming every five or six years. For the last quite a few years, it hasn't.
"The property market in New Zealand always seems to be strongest when Auckland is booming. To my mind, that makes it very undervalued at the moment."
He said, with 15,000 properties on the market in Auckland, there would be a few hundred where the seller was very motivated.
"The market needs to clear through that stock to give those people the opportunity to move on. I believe the most opportunity is in the 09 district, with existing housing stock that is a bit beaten up or cosmetically distressed, where it can have value added to it."
Greg Smith of Devon Funds Management says New Zealand equities are looking good.
Photo:
Devon Funds / Supplied
Smith said New Zealand equities looked good.
"We are coming out of the bottom of the economic cycle, immigration is strong, consumer/business confidence is starting to improve from a low base, and we have another rate cut in a month's time and more though the year to get the OCR below 3 percent.
"We are reliant on China a bit but on the tariff side 10 percent to NZ isn't going to cause much of an impact … The relative appeal of high yielders will also strengthen as rates fall. So high yielding, large cap, domestically focused equities. Exporters can also benefit from a lower kiwi dollar."
Rupert Carlyon said he still saw opportunities in bitcoin.
"We are nervous about the USD given what is happening. We have politicians all around the world that are putting pressure on central banks to increase lending and lower interest rates. As money supply increases which it inevitably will as this cycle plays out, Bitcoin could be a big winner through it all."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NZ Herald
39 minutes ago
- NZ Herald
Warning after real estate agents caught altering property sale agreements
He said if the title requisition right was unaltered and there was a problem with it, the purchaser had time to get the defect fixed or to back out of the deal if necessary. But if it was not, he said, buyers could be put in an impossible position. 'There's not often defects on the title but it does happen, and it happened to me recently where there was a cross-leased title involving four different properties and there was an error on the title. 'To get that fixed is very difficult and very costly and can take quite some time because you need to involve surveyors, banks.' The purchaser's lawyer would have to alert the bank to the problem. 'If there is a defect on the title, the bank will then say 'we are not going to advance the mortgage funds until you've fixed it'. In the meantime the settlement date is coming up and the purchaser has to settle because they are in an unconditional situation, but they cannot raise the money from the bank. Therefore it is catch-22.' Herring said a standard sale and purchase agreement said the person holding the deposit, whether that was a salesperson or a lawyer, needed to hold it for 10 working days, which aligned with the title requisition period. Once that was over and the buyer's conditions were satisfied, it could be released. 'If the deposit is released earlier than that and the vendor spends the deposit – maybe they use it for paying down debt, to put a deposit on a house they are buying or they might go overseas, if the requisition period is activated and the purchaser has to cancel the contract – if that deposit is gone, it makes it much more difficult to get back.' Herring said if someone was using KiwiSaver to pay a deposit, their lawyer had to give a legal undertaking to the provider that if anything went wrong and settlement did not go ahead, the money would be returned. But if something happened and the money had disappeared, that would be much harder. 'It heightens the risk for KiwiSaver first-home buyers.' He said people who discovered a change had been made to an agreement they had signed should seek legal advice. Real Estate Authority (REA) chief executive Belinda Moffat said her organisation had provided general advice to the sector on the issue. 'Section 123 of the act requires agents to hold money received in respect of a transaction for 10 working days – unless both parties agree to an earlier release. Ultimately, this 10-day rule exists to protect consumers. If a vendor fails to settle, or an issue arises before settlement, if the deposit has already been released it could leave the purchaser with no security that their deposit can be recovered. 'An early release of a deposit is only permitted by court order, or if each party to the transactions signs an authority agreeing to the early release. REA is concerned that some licensees and parties have sought to include an early release clause as an additional clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement. 'REA does not consider that an early release clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement meets the purposes of the act. Such clauses may undermine the consumer protection intent of section 123. Licensees should instead ensure parties give informed authority to early release.' Moffat said she was not able to comment on the current status of any complaints. 'We note further that whether there is a finding of breach of the conduct rules will depend on the facts of each case.' -RNZ
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Real estate agents caught altering sale agreements
House buyers - particularly those using money from KiwiSaver - may be being put at risk by real estate agents altering sale and purchase agreements, the Law Association warns. The association's property law committee raised a concern with the Real Estate Institute after members noted real estate salespeople were altering agreements to waive buyers' title requisition rights. These give buyers time to ensure the title is acceptable, even if an offer is unconditional. Changes were also being made to allow the early release of buyers' deposits to the vendors. Law Association president Tony Herring said it was not a widespread issue, but had been noted on a handful of agreements. He said if the title requisition right was unaltered and there was a problem with it, the purchaser had time to get the defect fixed or to back out of the deal if necessary. But if it was not, he said, buyers could be put in an impossible position. "There's not often defects on the title but it does happen, and it happened to me recently where there was a cross-leased title involving four different properties and there was an error on the title. "To get that fixed is very difficult and very costly and can take quite some time because you need to involve surveyors, banks." The purchaser's lawyer would have to alert the bank to the problem. "If there is a defect on the title, the bank will then say 'we are not going to advance the mortgage funds until you've fixed it'. In the meantime the settlement date is coming up and the purchaser has to settle because they are in an unconditional situation, but they cannot raise the money from the bank. Therefore it is catch-22." Herring said a standard sale and purchase agreement said the person holding the deposit, whether that was a salesperson or a lawyer, needed to hold it for 10 working days, which aligned with the title requisition period. Once that was over and the buyer's conditions were satisfied, it could be released. "If the deposit is released earlier than that and the vendor spends the deposit - maybe they use it for paying down debt, to put a deposit on a house they are buying or they might go overseas, if the requisition period is activated and the purchaser has to cancel the contract - if that deposit is gone, it makes it much more difficult to get back." Herring said if someone was using KiwiSaver to pay a deposit, their lawyer had to give a legal undertaking to the provider that if anything went wrong and settlement did not go ahead, the money would be returned. But if something happened and the money had disappeared, that would be much harder. "It heightens the risk for KiwiSaver first-home buyers." He said people who discovered a change had been made to an agreement they had signed should seek legal advice. Real Estate Authority (REA) chief executive Belinda Moffat said her organisation had provided general advice to the sector on the issue. "Section 123 of the Act requires agents to hold money received in respect of a transaction for 10 working days - unless both parties agree to an earlier release. "Ultimately, this 10-day rule exists to protect consumers. If a vendor fails to settle, or an issue arises before settlement, if the deposit has already been released it could leave the purchaser with no security that their deposit can be recovered. "An early release of a deposit is only permitted by court order, or if each party to the transactions signs an authority agreeing to the early release. REA is concerned that some licensees and parties have sought to include an early release clause as an additional clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement. "REA does not consider that an early release clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement meets the purposes of the Act. Such clauses may undermine the consumer protection intent of section 123. Licensees should instead ensure parties give informed authority to early release." Moffat said she was not able to comment on the current status of any complaints. "We note further that whether there is a finding of breach of the conduct rules will depend on the facts of each case."
RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Warning after real estate agents caught altering sale agreements
House buyers, particularly those using money from KiwiSaver, may be being put at risk. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon House buyers, particularly those using money from KiwiSaver, may be being put at risk by real estate agents altering sale and purchase agreements, the Law Association warns. The association's property law committee raised a concern with the Real Estate Institute after members noted real estate salespeople were altering agreements to waive buyers' title requisition rights. These give buyers time to ensure the title is acceptable, even if an offer is unconditional. Changes were also being made to allow the early release of buyers' deposits to the vendors. Law Association president Tony Herring said it was not a widespread issue, but had been noted on a handful of agreements. He said if the title requisition right was unaltered and there was a problem with it, the purchaser had time to get the defect fixed or to back out of the deal if necessary. But if it was not, he said, buyers could be put in an impossible position. "There's not often defects on the title but it does happen, and it happened to me recently where there was a cross-leased title involving four different properties and there was an error on the title. "To get that fixed is very difficult and very costly and can take quite some time because you need to involve surveyors, banks." The purchaser's lawyer would have to alert the bank to the problem. "If there is a defect on the title, the bank will then say 'we are not going to advance the mortgage funds until you've fixed it'. In the meantime the settlement date is coming up and the purchaser has to settle because they are in an unconditional situation, but they cannot raise the money from the bank. Therefore it is catch-22." Herring said a standard sale and purchase agreement said the person holding the deposit, whether that was a salesperson or a lawyer, needed to hold it for 10 working days, which aligned with the title requisition period. Once that was over and the buyer's conditions were satisfied, it could be released. "If the deposit is released earlier than that and the vendor spends the deposit - maybe they use it for paying down debt, to put a deposit on a house they are buying or they might go overseas, if the requisition period is activated and the purchaser has to cancel the contract - if that deposit is gone, it makes it much more difficult to get back." Herring said if someone was using KiwiSaver to pay a deposit, their lawyer had to give a legal undertaking to the provider that if anything went wrong and settlement did not go ahead, the money would be returned. But if something happened and the money had disappeared, that would be much harder. "It heightens the risk for KiwiSaver first-home buyers." He said people who discovered a change had been made to an agreement they had signed should seek legal advice. Real Estate Authority (REA) chief executive Belinda Moffat said her organisation had provided general advice to the sector on the issue. "Section 123 of the Act requires agents to hold money received in respect of a transaction for 10 working days - unless both parties agree to an earlier release. Ultimately, this 10-day rule exists to protect consumers. If a vendor fails to settle, or an issue arises before settlement, if the deposit has already been released it could leave the purchaser with no security that their deposit can be recovered. "An early release of a deposit is only permitted by court order, or if each party to the transactions signs an authority agreeing to the early release. REA is concerned that some licensees and parties have sought to include an early release clause as an additional clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement. "REA does not consider that an early release clause in the Sale and Purchase Agreement meets the purposes of the Act. Such clauses may undermine the consumer protection intent of section 123. Licensees should instead ensure parties give informed authority to early release." Moffat said she was not able to comment on the current status of any complaints. "We note further that whether there is a finding of breach of the conduct rules will depend on the facts of each case." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
