Equities

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…

ASX200 follows global markets higher, economic data flows, inflation of little concern, Metcash (ASX:MTS) continues to deliver The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished another 0.8% higher on Tuesday, with every sector but energy and materials delivering positive results for the day. CSL (ASX:CSL) continues to catch up on the market after a slow start to 2021, adding 2.3%. The company…

ASX delivers small gain, Future Fund leads renewables deal  The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished slightly higher, adding 0.1% to commence the week.  The IT sector continues to feel a great deal of selling pressure with Afterpay (ASX:APT) falling another 4.5% as investors continue to pivot towards more sustainable, undervalued sources of returns. The share price is now nearly 30% off…

A key plank of the highly touted Your Future Your Super legislation is the ‘performance test’ that will apply to industry super funds and other My Super products. The sector had been somewhat immune from targeted regulation for several years, outside of aggressive questioning from Parliamentary committees and sailed through the Royal Commission ultimately unscathed….