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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

Canada Grants C$7 Million to Greenland Molybdenum Mine to Strengthen Critical Minerals Supply

Canada has awarded C$7 million (approximately $4.93 million) in non-repayable funding to support the development of a major molybdenum mining project in Greenland, reinforcing Western efforts to secure critical mineral...

Asian Currencies Stay Range-Bound as Investors Eye China Data, RBNZ Outlook and U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Asian currencies traded in tight ranges on Monday as investors balanced easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East with a busy week of key economic releases across Asia. While the tentative ceasefire between the...

Japan Targets 1%+ Real Economic Growth With ¥370 Trillion Investment Plan

Japans government is preparing an ambitious long-term economic strategy aimed at achieving sustained annual real economic growth of more than 1%, according to a draft of its latest economic and fiscal policy framework. The...

China Factory PMI Seen Returning to Growth in June as AI Export Demand Supports Economy

Chinas manufacturing sector is expected to return to modest growth in June, supported by resilient exports tied to the booming global artificial intelligence (AI) industry. However, economists caution that the recovery...

US Stock Futures Rise as US-Iran Ceasefire Hopes Boost Market Sentiment

U.S. stock index futures moved higher late Sunday as investors reacted positively to reports that the United States and Iran had agreed to suspend recent military hostilities and resume diplomatic negotiations, easing...

Politics

Australia, Vanuatu Sign Security Pact Amid Pacific Influence Competition

Australia and Vanuatu have officially signed a long-awaited development and security agreement, reinforcing their strategic partnership while highlighting the growing geopolitical competition for influence in the Pacific...

Serbia Protests Continue as Thousands Rally Despite Vucic’s Resignation Plan

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the central Serbian city of Kraljevo on Sunday, maintaining pressure on President Aleksandar Vucic just one day after he announced plans to resign within weeks and trigger early...

Iran Skips U.S. Technical Talks Over Unmet MoU Conditions and Frozen Funds Dispute

Iran did not participate in the technical talks scheduled for Sunday, citing recent military attacks on the country and unresolved conditions outlined in its memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United States. The...

Trump Announces September Overhaul of Washington’s East Potomac Golf Links

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a major renovation of Washingtons historic East Potomac Golf Links will begin on September 1, with plans to transform the century-old public golf course into what he described as...

Andy Burnham Sets Out Vision to Decentralize Britain as Labour Leadership Race Begins

Andy Burnham is set to outline his vision for the United Kingdom on Monday as the Labour politician positions himself to succeed Keir Starmer as the countrys next prime minister. Burnham is expected to focus on shifting...

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

Baige Online Shares Soar 333% in Hong Kong IPO Debut as AI Insurance Demand Lifts Chinese Listings

Chinese insurtech firm Baige Online Digital Technology Co. (HK:2672) delivered an impressive debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday, with its shares surging as much as 333% in early trading. The strong performance...

Baidu Shares Rally as Kunlunxin Eyes $50 Billion Hong Kong IPO

Baidu Inc. (HK:9888) shares climbed sharply on Monday after reports indicated that its artificial intelligence chip subsidiary, Kunlunxin, is aiming for a valuation of approximately $50 billion through a planned initial...

Open-Source AI Models Gain Ground as Enterprises Seek Lower-Cost Alternatives, Citi Says

Open-source artificial intelligence (AI) models are rapidly gaining traction as businesses search for cost-effective alternatives to proprietary AI systems, according to a new research note from Citi. The shift comes as...

Samsung, SK Hynix to Unveil $1.3 Trillion AI and Semiconductor Investment Plan

South Korean technology leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly preparing to announce investment plans worth a combined 2,000 trillion won (approximately $1.3 trillion) to strengthen the countrys...

UBS Raises TSMC Price Target to T$3,400 on Strong AI Chip Demand Outlook

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) received a fresh vote of confidence from UBS after the investment bank raised its price target for the worlds largest contract chipmaker, citing robust artificial...