Stephen Halmarick is a Director and Co-Head of Citigroupa"s "Economic and Market Analysis" (EMA) Department for Australia and NZ, based in Sydney. Stephen is also a member of the global Currency Research & Strategy team, focusing on the G10 currencies.

Mr Halmarick is responsible for forecasting interest rates, bond yields and currencies in Australia and NZ and analysis of monetary and fiscal policy. He also works extensively on Federal and State government analysis and the impact of the changing structure of Australia's bond market. According to the 2006 INSTO Magazine survey of Australian Fixed Income investors, Stephen was rated No. 1 for research coverage on Australian Commonwealth and semi-government bonds. He has now achieved this result for five consecutive years.

Focusing on the region's fixed income and FX markets, he authors a wide range of publications on the Australian economy and markets and also contributes to Citigroup's global economic publications. Mr. Halmarick also authors "State of the States", the No. 1 ranked publication on the Australian States and semi-government bond market.

Mr. Halmarick is responsible for marketing the Citigroup view on Australian and international markets to fixed income and FX clients in Australia, and Australia/NZ views to clients internationally, particularly in the UK/Europe, the US and Asia. As part of his FX research role, Mr. Halmarick is responsible for marketing the CitiFX G10 currency views to clients within the Asian time-zone.

Mr Halmarick has over 20 years experience as a financial markets economist and joined Salomon Smith Barney in 1998 when they purchased NatWest Markets (County NatWest) Australia - where he had worked for 4 years. Shortly after the merger of Salomon Smith Barney and Citibank in late 1998 he was appointed Co-Head of the EMA team. Mr. Halmarick holds a degree in Economics from Macquarie University and a graduate diploma from the Securities Institute of Australia. He holds dealer/research accreditation in both Australia and the US and is a member of the Finance and Treasury Association of Australia. He is also currently the Secretary of the Australian Business Economists. He is 42 years old and lives in Sydney with his wife and four children.