Markets

For the world to meet climate targets, the supply of battery-grade lithium will have to ramp up greatly, prompting expectations that the price will keep rising for years to come. And Australian companies with proven lithium deposits could do well as M&A in the sector stays hot, analysts say.

Money might not be free anymore but there’s still plenty of it sloshing around in markets and the economy. When it runs out, the resulting upheaval (and higher inflation) could herald the return of active management.

Digital transformation, combined with companies staying private for longer, means successful startups are scaling up faster. The next wave of development, SeedSpace’s Cathryn Lyall said, would come from larger VC fund allocation and sovereign wealth fund investment.

Strategies that seek to deliver a pre-determined rate of return over a specified period of time are uncommon, but defined-return investing may be finding its place in the Australian market.

Comparing public and private market performance can be misleading, according to a new study from PGIM, and CIOs need to look deeper into the data.

Private equity may provide outsized returns, but it comes with a liquidity catch. Traditional listed equity investing doesn’t, but it has its own drawbacks. Combine the two, says HMC’s Victoria Hardie, and you have a better balance.

The structural advantages of private equity span every phase of the investment process, Ng told a room full of advisers and associates. During the buy, the hold and the sell, he said, PE outpoints traditional public market offerings.

Many end-investors might assume that it is equities managers that are most at risk from whipsawing jerks in market sentiment, but fixed-income managers, too, can find themselves out of position very quickly, as something they did not see coming… comes.

Cryptocurrencies may take up most of the headlines, Invesco says, but the real investment potential lies in the technology and the trading platforms behind them – despite the shocking FTX blowup.

The bond market has never had great investment appeal for Australia’s self-managed superannuation funds, but with rising yields improving their proposition, some observers say the investment tide may be coming in for fixed interest.

Using Coles as a case study, Australian Ethical demonstrates how sustainability-minded money managers are dealing with the nuanced issues involved in appraising the activities of big companies.

After cutting its teeth as a commercial property lender during the GFC, Thinktank – thanks to strong strategic relationships and conservative credit policies – is well funded and prepared for the market to turn, says BDM Lauren Ryan.