Australia's corporate insolvencies have hit their highest level in at least 25 years

The monthly number of insolvencies has reached the highest level since ASIC began compiling statistics in 1999.
Kieran Davies

Coolabah Capital

Corporate insolvencies have reached their highest level since ASIC began publishing the numbers just over twenty-five years ago.

The national number of corporate insolvencies showed fresh strength in March, reaching 1.1K in the month, which is the highest level since ASIC began compiling the statistics in 1999.

The same holds true for the seasonally adjusted number of insolvencies, which was also around 1.1K in March on CCI's analysis, and the estimated trend in insolvencies, put at about 1K on CCI's calculation.

The construction industry remains a key driver of rising insolvencies.

There is an unprecedented backlog of construction work at present, but builders that offered fixed-price contracts during the pandemic have been squeezed by high inflation.

For example, the cost of materials for building a home has increased by one-third from pre-COVID levels.

The RBA tracks financial stress closely, particularly for the household sector, but at the moment it is likely more focused on the risk that inflation may take longer to return to the 2½% midpoint of its target band.

This risk has been brought home by recent developments in global inflation, where the improvement in core inflation in countries such as the US, the UK and New Zealand, has either stalled or partly reversed over recent months, with the familiar theme of sticky services inflation.

In a similar vein, Australia's labour market has recently performed better than the RBA had forecast and bank staff will probably adjust their near-term outlook to reflect this when the Statement on Monetary Policy is released on 7 May, the same day as the next interest rate decision.  

The labour market has gradually loosened over the past year or so, but demand is still running ahead of supply in that the unemployment rate and hours-based measure of spare capacity are both still below the RBA’s respective estimates of the NAIRU.

Moreover, the "loosening" process seems to have paused recently, with the unemployment rate remaining unchanged at a still-low level in Q1, some measures of monthly job vacancies stabilising, and total hours worked remaining unchanged in Q1 after falling from a record high over the second half of last year.

The
number of corporate insolvencies reached a series high in March
The number of corporate insolvencies reached a series high in March
........
Investment Disclaimer Past performance does not assure future returns. All investments carry risks, including that the value of investments may vary, future returns may differ from past returns, and that your capital is not guaranteed. This information has been prepared by Coolabah Capital Investments Pty Ltd (ACN 153 327 872). It is general information only and is not intended to provide you with financial advice. You should not rely on any information herein in making any investment decisions. To the extent permitted by law, no liability is accepted for any loss or damage as a result of any reliance on this information. The Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) for the funds should be considered before deciding whether to acquire or hold units in it. A PDS for these products can be obtained by visiting www.coolabahcapital.com. Neither Coolabah Capital Investments Pty Ltd, Equity Trustees Ltd (ACN 004 031 298) nor their respective shareholders, directors and associated businesses assume any liability to investors in connection with any investment in the funds, or guarantees the performance of any obligations to investors, the performance of the funds or any particular rate of return. The repayment of capital is not guaranteed. Investments in the funds are not deposits or liabilities of any of the above-mentioned parties, nor of any Authorised Deposit-taking Institution. The funds are subject to investment risks, which could include delays in repayment and/or loss of income and capital invested. Past performance is not an indicator of nor assures any future returns or risks. Coolabah Capital Investments (Retail) Pty Limited (CCIR) (ACN 153 555 867) is an authorised representative (#000414337) of Coolabah Capital Institutional Investments Pty Ltd (CCII) (AFSL 482238). Both CCIR and CCII are wholly owned subsidiaries of Coolabah Capital Investments Pty Ltd. Equity Trustees Ltd (AFSL 240975) is the Responsible Entity for these funds. Equity Trustees Ltd is a subsidiary of EQT Holdings Limited (ACN 607 797 615), a publicly listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX: EQT). Forward-Looking Disclaimer This presentation contains some forward-looking information. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and undue reliance should not be placed on them. Such forward-looking statements necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual performance and financial results in future periods to differ materially from any projections of future performance or result expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although forward-looking statements contained in this presentation are based upon what Coolabah Capital Investments Pty Ltd believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Coolabah Capital Investments Pty Ltd undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management’s estimates or opinions should change except as required by applicable securities laws. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Kieran Davies
Chief Macro Strategist
Coolabah Capital

Based in Sydney, Kieran Davies is Chief Macro Strategist at Coolabah Capital Investments, an asset manager with 40 executives and over $8 billion in fixed-income strategies. Kieran is responsible for macroeconomic research and investment strategy,...

I would like to

Only to be used for sending genuine email enquiries to the Contributor. Livewire Markets Pty Ltd reserves its right to take any legal or other appropriate action in relation to misuse of this service.

Personal Information Collection Statement
Your personal information will be passed to the Contributor and/or its authorised service provider to assist the Contributor to contact you about your investment enquiry. They are required not to use your information for any other purpose. Our privacy policy explains how we store personal information and how you may access, correct or complain about the handling of personal information.

Comments

Sign In or Join Free to comment