Equities

The United States’ re-signing of the Paris Climate Agreement under President Biden, combined with a strengthening commitment on carbon emission targets from China, “sets the stage for a globally coordinated move away from fossil fuels.” That’s the expectation according to Ganesh Suntharam, chief investment officer of Redpoint Investment Management. Putting the ESG trend to the…

Factor manager Research Affiliates appears to be charging in where value managers are still nervous to tread, with a big call on the state of global markets and where the main opportunity lies – UK equities. Mike Aked, Research Affiliates’ director of research for Australia, said last week (March 17) that the firm had identified…

Europe’s largest asset manager, with EUR$1.4 trillion ($2.2 trillion) in investor funds, Amundi Asset Management, recently weighed into the cryptocurrency phenomenon, releasing a ‘Blue Paper’ on the topic. It offers a unique insight from a traditional fund manager on what is a clearly non-traditional asset class. From the outset the authors, deputy CIO Vincent Mortier…

Second quarter off to strong start, AMP’s CEO departs, Boral announces buyback The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week and commenced the new quarter on a strong note, finishing 0.5% higher with both IT, up 2.3%, and materials, 1.3%, contributing. It was a day for stock specific news with the worst kept secret in finance being confirmed, AMP’s CEO Francesco…

The US$500 billion ($649 billion) investment conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) is the latest group to come under pressure for its climate change and diversity disclosures. Its response and the growing pressure offers a unique insight into the increasingly complex web that is ESG investing, and how these issues are best applied by both companies…

While it may be only short term, the Government’s stimulus measures over the past 12 months have helped Australia’s listed companies to their best half-yearly reporting season in ten years. In its latest report on the state of the companies following their shareholder reports for the six months to December, equities manager Martin Currie Australia…

Individual investors in Australia are increasingly optimistic about the future for their own portfolios and the world in general – significantly more so than others in the region, according to a survey by PIMCO. The ‘PIMCO APAC Investor Sentiment Survey Q4 2020’ shows a surge in optimism compared with the same questions being asked for…

Are investors looking at a dividend bonanza in 2021? According to Dr Don Hamson, portfolio manager of the Plato Australian Shares Income strategy, the drought may be coming to an end. According to the one of the leading active income investors in the country, investors in the S&P/ASX 200 index are looking at an improved…

ASX sinks to first loss in a month, retailers powering ahead, materials weaker The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week on a negative note, falling 0.6%, delivering the first weekly loss in over a month, down 0.9%. It seems the number of divergent outcomes for 2021 is increasing by the day, with talk of an inflation spike, countered…

ASX continues to weaken, unemployment surprises, NZ nearing second recession The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished another 0.7% lower on Thursday, with every sector but miners and retailers falling. Amongst the biggest detractors were the Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) and CSL Ltd (ASX:CSL), down 1.6% and 1.9% respectively. The sell-off came despite what appears to be great news for the economy; the unemployment rate…

Often used to describe a particular type of investment style – for example, the High Conviction Equities Fund – “conviction” is all the rage in equity markets today. This type of strategy usually holds between 20-30 stocks (or any other asset, for that matter) which are considered high-quality blue-chip investments that have a strong competitive position and high market…

Market weakens, CBA enters BNPL space, Corporate Travel sell down The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) fell 0.5% on Wednesday, following a confluence of global factors. It was a mixed day with six of the eleven key industry sectors falling but energy and materials remaining under pressure. The iron ore price has remained strong, however, both BHP Group (ASX:BHP) and Rio Tinto (ASX:RIO) fell as other commodity…