Rumours that Russia and Ukraine were being encouraged to come to the table for peace discussions supported the market on Monday, with the S&P/ASX200 gaining 0.7 per cent. Mining, materials and energy remain the biggest contributors as the conflict raises questions around supply chains, with the former adding 3.0 per cent and the latter 1.4 per cent….
Insignia Financial (ASX:IFL), previously known as IOOF, delivered a solid profit result last week, reporting a 79 per cent increase, hitting $117.9 million for the half. The company remains a rare, outside of the industry fund sector, vertically integrated financial services business, with operations spanning platforms, asset management and most importantly financial advice. It has…
The Australian sharemarket followed a strong global lead, finishing 0.1 per cent higher taking the weekly loss to just 4.3 per cent despite the war in Ukraine. On Friday, it was the technology sector that outperformed, gaining over 8 per cent, almost entirely due to a 32 per cent surge in Afterpay’s new owner Block (ASX: SQ2) which was a…
Global sharemarkets were shaken by the inevitable news that Russia had finally attacked various targets in Ukraine, all but declaring war on the nation. Whilst the implications are likely to be localised, the impact on the oil price and its role within the global economy will be felt far and wide. In a positive for…
Speak with any financial adviser today, and it’s likely that their biggest investment concern isn’t related to the equity component of their portfolio. After two years of strong markets, most are sitting on strong returns despite the recent uptick in volatility. With the near-consensus view that interest rates are set to move higher sooner rather…
Inflation has remained in the headlines through February and will likely continue to do so throughout the remainder of the year. Yet whilst the headlines suggest both inflation and interest rates are heading higher in a straight line, the real world impact is far more nuanced and uncertain. This was the central focus of a…
Traditional fixed income allocations, whether in the form of corporate or government bonds have been on the nose in 2022 and most of 2021 for that matter. The threat of inflation and associated rate hikes led many to rename the sector as ‘fixed loss’ rather than fixed income. Andrew Canobi, co-Portfolio Manager of the flexible…
The Australian market overcame increasingly weak global sentiment to post a gain of 0.6 per cent on Wednesday. Whilst the events in Ukraine and associated impacts on the price of energy remain a major concern, another bumper day for reporting season pushed the market higher, with the technology and communication sectors faring best. WiseTech (ASX: WTC)…
The unexpected run of earnings and profit surprises in 2021 wasn’t enough to offset geopolitical concerns from Russia, sending the S&P/ASX200 down 1 per cent on Tuesday. The losses remain focused around the higher valued IT and discretionary sectors, which were down 3.2 and 2.7 per cent respectively. Energy has been the biggest beneficiary given Russia’s key…
The Australian sharemarket looked to be succumbing to overseas weakness on Monday, falling as far as 0.7 per cent before rebounding in the afternoon, to gain 0.2 per cent for the session. On what was a massive day for reporting season all eyes were on Russia, with the US and Russia agreeing to talks in part…