Markets

Morningstar conducted a review of the 2021 Australian Multi-sector funds based on qualitative research conducted on 125 strategies. Seven strategies achieved ratings upgrades on greater product confidence; 17 unlisted funds were downgraded owing to reduced confidence in the investment team; the researcher initiated coverage on nine strategies, and ceased coverage of one strategy. With “green”…

Given the seeming obsession with the impending inflation outbreak in Australia, and around the world for that matter, one could be excused for thinking this would be among the most-read articles for the year. In fact, it was quite the opposite, with our readership of Australia’s leading financial advisers looking for positivity, not fear. Big-name…

Sentiment is shifting in the discussion about the outlook for gold. The view that the gold price will continue to weaken, as it has done for much of this year, has given way to more positive forecasts. The reason is rising inflation, and the fact that inflation-adjusted bond yields are in negative territory – a…

Melbourne-based global equity manager, Bell Asset Management, best known for its small and mid-cap equity strategies, has a launched a new ‘sustainable’ equity strategy. The Bell Global Sustainable Fund will add to the firm’s growing suite of products and offer another option for diversification, as a number of leading equity managers continue to underperform. With…

As we enter a post-Covid world, interest rates remain at all-time lows with seemingly no immediate respite. To compound matters, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has given “a very low probability” to the current surge in inflation triggering an early increase in official rates. Inflation has risen somewhat, but in underlying terms the rate…

A quiet announcement from one of Australia’s leading industry/union super funds at the beginning of December piqued my interest. The announcement came amid a busy week for investment announcements, with nearly every investor offering up an outlook statement. But this one was much more straightforward and delivered without any fanfare. It was the decision by…

The team at Evergreen Consultants has released cutting-edge research that reveals the direction markets will take with higher inflation. The 2021 issue of Evergreen Consultants’ Long-Term Expected Returns Framework has made ground-breaking projections that dispel inflationary concerns. Projections show the Australian and global equity markets outpacing most other asset classes in the decade ahead. Evergreen…

L1 Capital has taken out the prestigious ‘Alternative Investment Manager of the Year Award’ at the annual Australian Alternative Investment Awards for 2021. The award presentations were held in conjunction with the 20th anniversary Hedge Funds Rock charity dinner in Sydney last Friday night (December 10). They represented a welcome and lively return to normality…

Investment manager Daintree Capital, together with distribution partners Perennial and eInvest, held an investor webinar on its recently listed Hybrid Opportunities Fund (ASX:DHOF), which was quoted on the ASX earlier last month. With interest rates at all-time lows and the RBA giving “a very low probability” to the current surge in inflation triggering an early…

And just like that, the year is almost over. As 2021 comes to an end, there’s a lot to celebrate, both good and bad. The pandemic is largely behind us, with multiple vaccines administered across the world, but at a great cost and a hefty debt bill. But there is light at the end of the…

The power of passive investing has been on show during the pandemic. Combined with the ease of implementation and a flood of new investors entering the market, the exchange-traded fund (ETF) sector has been growing at 40 per cent a year. Such has been the success that the Australian market reached $113 billion in June…

Australian Ethical’s Master Class session, hosted by The Inside Network, was titled “Investing for a better world.” It brought together external industry influencers to discuss how technologies will shape and dominate the next few years, with a particular focus on blockchain and recycling products. It was a practical panel session to give investors a real…