Equities

Blistering start slows, ASX down 0.9%, bond rates higher, Bitcoin falls 20% After a blistering opening to the year in which the ASX200 (ASX:XJO) added 2.6%, attention once again turned to the economic outlook, sending the ASX200 down 0.9% on Monday. Every sector but energy weakened, with the IT sector the hardest hit falling 2.2%, Afterpay (ASX:APT) a key detractor down…

This piece of advice from Zehrid Osmani, portfolio manager of the global unconstrained strategy at Franklin Templeton boutique, Martin Currie, couldn’t have been more pertinent than in 2020. Osmani, who joined from BlackRock in 2020, suggests this is one of the most important traits of success in the investment management industry, but particularly in the…

ASX finishes flat, border closures hit travel, AGL Energy downgrades, weaker open ahead The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished flat to begin the week, with news that US politicians finally agreed on a USD$900 billion stimulus package not enough to offset the NSW outbreak and subsequent border closures. Every sector was lower apart from materials and consumer staples, with the latter benefitting…

Winning streak hits seven weeks, A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) and Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) battered The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) managed to overcome a 1.2% fall to cap off the seventh straight week of gains, adding 0.5%. The IT sector continued to lead the way behind Afterpay (ASX:APT), finishing 5.9% higher, whilst energy lost 2.4% as the US economy appeared to weaken. The biggest…

Santa rally continues, all eyes on financials, Rex Airlines (ASX:REX) gets approved The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished 0.7% higher after a positive overseas lead, with every sector finishing higher. Attention once again turned to the technology sector, with BNPL players Afterpay (ASX:APT) and Zip (ASX:Z1P) finishing 4.2% and 6.7% higher. While these companies have been flagged as Australia’s technology leaders, the true nature of…

ASX 200 falls 0.4%, China flags iron ore concerns, Vicinity (ASX:VCX) confirms dividend A weak global lead pushed the ASX200 (ASX:XJO) down 0.4% today, with the China Iron and Steel Association flagging concerns about the ballooning iron ore price at the same time that maintenance hit export volumes in November. BHP (ASX:BHP) and Fortescue (ASX:FMG) bore the brunt down 2.3% and 3.1% respectively.  Yet…

In the final weeks of the year, there appear the inevitable reports on what eventuated in 2020, coupled with the near-universal view that 2021 is lining up as another risk-on whopper. Rates will remain range-bound, therefore we can bunker down in equities and anything else that takes our fancy outside of bonds. History suggests that…

Six consecutive weeks of gains, CSL (ASX:CSL) lower as vaccine pulled, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) overtakes ANZ Bank (ASX:ANZ) The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week on a negative note, falling 0.6%, but managed to deliver its sixth straight week of gains, adding 0.1% over the five days. The majority of the weakness was driven by the 3.2% fall in CSL (ASX:CSL)…

ASX breaks seven day winning streak, AUD starting to bite, tech under pressure The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) couldn’t take it’s winning run beyond seven days once again, falling 0.7% on the back of weakness in the technology sector, down 2.1%.  The weakness was twofold, with Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) facing US legal action seeking to have the company’s Instagram and…

One of the more impressive funds that The Inside Network has come across in recent years is the PineBridge Asia ex Japan Small Cap Equity Fund, which taps into the “long tail” of Asian exposure – the region’s small caps.  Of course, what is a “small-cap” is in the eye of the beholder: PineBridge defines…

ASX 200 starts the week higher, Metcash (ASX:MTS) smashes expectations, Rio, BHP near all-time highs, negative lead The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) weakened throughout the day but managed a fifth straight positive session closing 0.6% higher. Once again, the majority of the buying pressure came from the commodities sector, specifically iron ore, after the price spiked another…

Every fund manager talks about finding the next Amazon, Facebook, or Google, but very few are able to do it consistently. In fact, a broad majority of global equity strategies seem to live by the saying “if you can’t beat them, join them,” with the big tech names dominating value, growth, and every strategy in…