Markets

‘Inflation risk is real’. ‘Federal Reserve turns hawkish’. ‘Tapering to begin in November’. These were the headlines that followed Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) member Randal Quarles’ speech at a conference last week. Yet the headlines once again highlight the risk of confirmation bias that afflicts even the most objective, professional investors. While the headlines…

Australia’s exchange-traded fund sector continued its stellar recent run, with record inflows of $2.9 billion in September 2021. Issuer BetaShares’ Australian ETF review report shows a sector of the market in strong health despite increasing volatility. Record inflows were just enough to see assets under management increase, albeit only slightly, for the month, but posted…

“We haven’t seen a secular bear market for nearly 40 years,” said Johnathan Ruffer, chairman of UK-based multi-asset manager Ruffer, in the firm’s third-quarter update. The outspoken contrarian delivered something of a warning for the cohort of “clever” economists, political journalists and hedge fund managers who think they can understand what is going on in…

Don’t tell your young folk; but being good is hard. One can “veneer” an ESG, sustainable, ethical or any-nomenclature-one-likes approach, and then turn to the much more difficult decision on how that works in practice. Take on this challenge. China produces around 90% of the global requirement for polysilicon, used in making solar panels. All…

Both Magellan (ASX:MFG) and Platinum Asset Management (ASX:PTM) have been gaining plenty of unwanted attention lately. Both their hallmark strategies are suffering from periods of underperformance, the former due to a lack of cyclical exposure, and the latter an ingrained value focus.  It is somewhat interesting therefore that both are banking on China as being…

International asset manager, Robeco, known for its extensive range of active investments, from equities to fixed income and credit, is also a pioneer in sustainable investing. Having developed a proprietary Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) framework for credit portfolios, the company now sets the standard with its credit portfolios by using SDG scores that are validated…

Bitcoin’s volatility means that institutional investors have historically steered well clear. But the times are a-changing, and even skeptics believe the cryptocurrency will have its day. Cryptocurrency is clearly here to stay. While most investors watch its massive price swings with bemused detachment, a few have begun to think seriously about the role they can…

“Money makes money. And the money that money makes, makes money” – Benjamin Franklin To many, this quote likely stands out as being one of the most capitalist comments that could be made. But the quote refers not to greed, but rather to the benefits of compounding returns. Franklin’s line has been encapsulated in the…

Key characteristics which shone out in the winners of the top categories at this year’s Zenith Investment Partners awards were a pioneering spirit and persistence. The winner of the ‘Fund Manager of the Year’ award, Perpetual Asset Management, can boast possibly the oldest Australian equities fund, and adherence to its long-term focus and value style…

It didn’t take long to see headlines about another technology sector sell-off feed through the market. It seems like a monthly occurrence that the threat of higher bond yields sends the technology sector into free fall. The most common explanation any time that bond rates increase, and the tech-dominated Nasdaq or S&P500 fall, is that…

A recent survey by Credit Suisse shows that a quarter of financial advisers have cryptocurrency assets in their clients’ portfolios. In addition, another 35 per cent have indicated that they will be including allocations to digital assets in the future. The interesting thing is that financial advisers don’t seem to be shying away from digital…

There is no denying the ripple effect that blockchain technology has had, not only in the cryptocurrency world but the wider world. What started out as being the foundation to Bitcoin soon spread to many facets of life. It has been used to create a transparent ledger system for compiling data on sales, online payments…