Markets

As Australia joins the rest of the world and transitions to a post-Covid era, it’s never been more difficult to be an adviser. Investment products are becoming more complex, everything is over-regulated, risks are everywhere, ultra-low bond yields aren’t budging, equities are expensive, and inflation is starting to rear its ugly head. Advisers are facing…

With the push towards decarbonization, ultra-low bond yields and rising inflation, the role of an adviser is becoming more and more challenging. The investment paradigm has changed for both the adviser and investor. Gone are the days when a substantial portion of an investor’s portfolio was buried in high-interest term deposits virtually risk-free. These days,…

Since its founding 35 years ago, Australian Ethical has been at the forefront of responsible investing. The firm was an ESG investor before ESG became the buzzword it is today. In 2020, AE’s experience and approach came to the fore, with assets under management doubling on the back of strong investment performance and positive impacts….

UK-based global investment firm abrdn is looking to expand its footprint by launching its Global Risk Strategy fund to Australian investors. The company, formerly known as Standard Life Aberdeen, has changed its name to Abrdn as it moves to refocus the business following the sale of the Standard Life brand to Phoenix Group earlier in…

“House prices could fall 20 per cent” read the headlines last week. Chris Joye, the founder of fixed-income manager Coolabah Capital, wasn’t seeking headlines, but rather being realistic in his latest piece. Having kept track of the entire cohort of mainstream economists for several years now, Joye continues to stand out as being the most…

Reflecting on a decade of investing in emerging markets, specialist asset manager Martin Currie succinctly summarised its experience by highlighting that “surprises are nothing new.” Such has been the rapid rate of change in the expansive world of less-developed economies that things rarely turn out as expected, but also, and arguably most importantly, the worst…

“Investors should prepare to navigate unfamiliar terrain as the macro-economic landscape undergoes dramatic transformations over the secular horizon,” is the message from global asset manager PIMCO. But what exactly is PIMCO saying? At this year’s annual “Secular Forum,” PIMCO’s global investment professionals focused on the post-pandemic outlook  for the global economy, touching-on themes such as…

Sustained strong performance has not caused complacency at global equity manager Munro Partners, which this week announced the launch of a new ‘climate’ dedicated equity strategy. After successfully navigating the taper tantrum, Trump election and the pandemic, CIO Nick Griffin has identified what Munro believes is a $30 trillion opportunity, and split its Climate “area…

The biggest influence on investment returns in the September quarter was a clear ‘backing up’ or bond rates. Naturally, this is causing advisers across the country to reconsider the structure and longevity of their fixed income allocations. Depending on who you listen to it seems almost certain that rates will continue their march higher, so…

What do investors really want? This is the question asked by Ninety One, an Anglo-South African asset management firm in its latest Planetary Pulse survey. The survey spoke with more than 6,000 individual investors across ten countries including the UK, Germany, Singapore and the US, to understand their views on the pressure of Net Zero…

Niche small-and-micro-cap Australian equities asset manager NAOS Asset Management has launched a unique investment fund that focuses on private businesses in Australia. The fund is headed up by Sebastian Evans, also chief investment officer and managing director of the firm. Why private businesses? NAOS has shifted its focus onto the private sector after successful listed…

While equity markets pedaled sideways over the September quarter, volatility has returned, causing a pullback and a lot of pain for global fund managers. Nick Griffin, founder and CIO at Munro Partners, has responded, with the firm’s Munro Global Growth fund returning 3.3 per cent over the period, while the MSCI World ex-Australia index was…