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Lee Smales

Senior Lecturer, Finance, Curtin University

Lee Smales is a senior lecturer in Curtin University's School of Economics & Finance. Before joining Curtin, Lee was an associate lecturer with University of New South Wales where he also completed his PhD in finance.

Prior to embarking on his academic career, Lee spent 8 years working for a major U.S. investment bank trading foreign-exchange and interest rate derivatives. Lee’s research interests are closely aligned with this prior career and focus on financial markets, and in particular the market response to news-events and the impact of prevailing sentiment and microstructure on this reaction.

Lee has published in leading journals including the Journal of Banking & Finance, Journal of Financial Research, Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Accounting & Finance, The Economic Record, and the Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money.

Lee has won awards for research (CBS New Researcher of the Year, 2013) and teaching (CBS New Teacher of the Year, 2014) and is also a CFA Charterholder.

Global Reflation Series

Explainer: what is reflation and is Australia experiencing it?

Apr 26, 2017 07:56 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

Since the 2007 global financial crisis, policy makers have been fighting deflationary (falling prices) and disinflationary (prices rising at slow rate) pressures. But the global economy finally appears to be entering...

Three reasons businesses are paying higher dividends rather than investing

Mar 03, 2017 06:36 am UTC| Insights & Views Business Investing

Typically, low interest rates, together with record profits, would create an environment in which businesses would be happy to invest in new projects providing a boost to economic growth and jobs. Unfortunately,...

Why markets care what businesses are buying

Jan 03, 2017 00:08 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy

How we track our economy influences everything from government spending and taxes to home lending and business investment. In our series The Way We Measure, were taking a close look at economic indicators to better...

Worrisome Signs Series

Perfect storm of events could trigger the next financial crisis

Jul 10, 2016 20:58 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Back in 2007, the first signs of stress in the US housing market were starting to appear. Managed investment funds at Bear Sterns and BNP Paribas were forced to close, or suspend payments, as they were unable to liquidate...

An uncertain election result may lead to stagnant financial markets

Jul 03, 2016 11:49 am UTC| Insights & Views

For the second time in the space of ten days, it appears that betting markets and pollsters have got it wrong. First, despite odds showing a 90% likelihood of Remain winning, the UK voted to Leave the European Union in its...

Economy

US-Iran Gulf Clash Raises Oil Market and Defense Stock Concerns

A fresh military confrontation between the United States and Iran has intensified concerns over global oil supplies, defense sector performance, and Middle East security. According to reports citing U.S. Central Command...

Oil Prices Slip but End Two-Week Losing Streak as Middle East Tensions Persist in 2026

Global oil prices moved lower on Friday after operations resumed at Omans key Mina al Fahal oil terminal following reports of a drone-related incident. Despite the daily decline, both Brent crude and West Texas...

Gold Prices Tumble as Strong U.S. Jobs Report Fuels Fed Rate Hike Expectations

Gold prices recorded a sharp decline on Friday and were set for a weekly loss after stronger-than-expected U.S. employment data increased expectations that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates later in 2026. The...

US Dollar Hits Near Two-Month High as Strong Jobs Data and Middle East Tensions Boost Rate Hike Expectations

The U.S. dollar climbed to its highest level in nearly two months on Friday, supported by stronger-than-expected labor market data and escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. Dollar Index (DXY), which...

US Stock Market Tumbles as Tech and Semiconductor Stocks Lead Massive Selloff

U.S. stocks suffered a sharp decline on Friday, ending Wall Streets impressive nine-week winning streak as technology and semiconductor shares experienced heavy selling pressure. The market downturn came after a...

Politics

Russian Strikes Kill Five in Ukraine’s Kherson Region as Border Attacks Continue

Russian attacks killed five people in Ukraines southern Kherson region on Friday, according to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin, highlighting the continued intensity of the Russia-Ukraine war. The incidents occurred in...

US Approves $1.5 Billion Seahawk Helicopter Sale to New Zealand Amid Defense Spending Surge

The United States has approved a potential $1.5 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to New Zealand for five MH-60R Seahawk multi-mission maritime helicopters and related military equipment, marking a significant step in...

US Strikes Iranian Radar Sites After Drones Threaten Strait of Hormuz

The United States military confirmed that it carried out targeted strikes against Iranian radar installations on Friday after Iran allegedly launched four attack drones toward the strategically important Strait of Hormuz....

Trump Forced Labour Tariff Plan Faces Criticism as Experts Question Effectiveness

President Donald Trumps proposed tariffs targeting countries accused of failing to combat forced labour are drawing criticism from trade experts, business organizations, and human rights advocates, who argue the measures...

Putin Says Ukraine War Could End Through Compromise as Russian Forces Continue Advances

Russian President Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russias hardline position on the Ukraine war, stating that Russian troops continue to make battlefield gains while signaling that a peace agreement remains possible if Kyiv...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apollo and Blackstone Complete $35 Billion Anthropic AI Infrastructure Financing Deal

Apollo Global Management (NYSE: APO) and Blackstone (NYSE: BX) have completed a landmark $35 billion financing package for artificial intelligence company Anthropic, marking one of the largest private credit transactions...

US Officials Explore AI Company Equity Stakes Ahead of OpenAI and Anthropic IPO Plans

Senior U.S. government officials have reportedly held preliminary discussions with leading artificial intelligence companies regarding the possibility of the federal government acquiring equity stakes in their businesses....

Switch Eyes Multi-Billion-Dollar Funding Round at $50 Billion Valuation Ahead of Potential IPO

Data center operator Switch is reportedly in discussions to raise billions of dollars in a new funding round that could value the company at more than $50 billion, according to a report from The Information. The potential...

South Korea Weighs AI Profit Sharing as Samsung and SK Hynix Earnings Surge

South Koreas Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon has called for a national discussion on how to distribute the extraordinary profits generated by the countrys booming artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor industries....

Jensen Huang Strengthens Nvidia’s South Korea Ties Amid AI Expansion

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is set to make his second visit to South Korea in just seven months, underscoring the countrys growing importance in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem. Beyond high-level business...