The value of ASX capital raisings surged in the year to June according to data released by the exchange yesterday.

Signs of life at the nation’s cash registers with a better than forecast rise in retail sales in May on top of a higher revised performance in April.

Stockmarkets seemed poised to sell off on Friday if the July 6 deadline for the imposition of 25% tariffs on some Chinese exports passes without any attempt to delay or limit the impact.

The Australian Government’s commodity forecasting group has again forecast that iron ore prices are expected to fall by more than 20% over the next two years as demand from China’s steel mills eases, while domestic and Brazilian output climbs.

Australia’s resource and energy export figures are on track to set a new record of $226 billion in the year to last Saturday, June 30.

No change from the Reserve Bank at its July meeting with the cash rate remaining on hold at 1.50% and likely to do so for the next year at least, if current economic trends continue, particularly weak wage growth.

Warren Buffett does it again – the one commodity he has too much of (according to some analysts) – cash, more cash for his huge $100 billion plus float because of the robust health of the US financial sector.

Markets will be looking for a positive start to the new 2018-19 financial year, the month of July, the September quarter and December half-year thanks mostly to higher energy prices.

A big week here and offshore – the start of a new week, a new month, a new quarter, a new half year and for most Australian companies, a new financial year – 2018-19.

A very mixed, month, quarter, half year and 12 months for the Aussie dollar, the greenback and commodity prices.

Oil was the star commodity over 2017-18, and now, despite the move by OPEC to ease its production cap (with Russia and other producers), some analysts are wondering when $US100 a barrel will be regained for the first time since 2014.

Without a surge in the June quarter and the month of June, led by the big banks and miners, Australian stockmarket investors would have been looking at a flat financial year, a flat quarter and virtually no capital gains.

Warren Buffett has finally given the thumbs down to print media, all but abandoning it as an area of investment in a move that could see a new group of investors to manage America’s dying newspapers into an assisted death.

The Reserve Bank of NZ has made it clear that it is prepared to cut rates as much as lift them in its latest policy announcement where it kept the official cash rate on hold at 1.75% for yet another meeting.

Put this one in your diary for September so that you won’t be alarmed at what could be some outsized movements in two key sub-indices of the S&P 500.

Another weak day for Chinese sharemarkets on Wednesday as the sell-off continues to drag the markets into bear territory.

As the trade row with the US worsens, China’s stockmarkets are being battered lower.

China’s central bank has cleared the way to inject $US100 billion in new funds to help soften the blow from any trade war with the United States.

Gold futures edged higher on Friday but still lost ground over the week as a stronger US dollar undermined many metal prices.

A quiet week mostly as we approach the end of the second quarter, the June half year and more importantly in Australia, the end of the 2017-18 financial year (see separate story).