Markets

It may be a lumpy asset with unpredictable returns and high relative costs, but Australian property is our nation’s beating investment heart. So who was the best fund manager for these mercurial assets last year?

Australia may not have the Magnificent Seven tech stocks, but a heavy top end on the ASX means concentration risk is just as present, Atchison’s says. According to Australian Ethical, that puts the domestic small companies sector right in frame for investors.

Investors will need to adjust their expectations (and portfolios) to account for higher for longer interest rates, slower economic growth, stickier inflation and a testing geopolitical environment. Keeping key pillars of quality in mind when assessing companies remains critical.

Rising interest rates and elevated stock multiples have brought down the equity risk premium and created a highly advantageous environment for value investors, according to Pzena Investment Management.

The current market isn’t just a poor marking stick for active investment expertise, but a dangerous one, with concentration risk at alarmingly high levels. Are fund managers right to be wrong?

With over 2 million Australians invested in ETFs and every second SMSF holding them, it’s little wonder managers are keen to launch active ETF versions of their most successful funds.

The pressure of meeting a spaghetti-like network of reporting standards has forced company executives to de-prioritise cybersecurity in favour of meeting global greenhouse gas emission targets, according to Perennial.

Australian Ethical’s partner in the new fund, Infradebt, is an ubiquitous presence in Australia’s energy transition movement, having funded 40 renewable projects to date.

Historically, periodic outperformance by a cohort of stocks linked by sector or region – often with a catchy moniker – has been a mainstay. As has that group’s inability to maintain dominance over the long term.

Biodiversity is under rising threat around the world, with potentially disastrous economic and social consequences. Investing in programs that manage and protect these assets will be key to mitigating the associated risks.

A business may appear to be robust, but a savvy lender that is responsible for the capital of its investors needs to be constantly across the mountain of variables that can present themselves.

HMC Capital has demonstrated how effective its active engagement strategy is with the success of the Sigma/Chemist Warehouse merger. Now David Di Pilla and his team have their sights set firmly on the real estate sector.