Markets

While it may be only short term, the Government’s stimulus measures over the past 12 months have helped Australia’s listed companies to their best half-yearly reporting season in ten years. In its latest report on the state of the companies following their shareholder reports for the six months to December, equities manager Martin Currie Australia…

Individual investors in Australia are increasingly optimistic about the future for their own portfolios and the world in general – significantly more so than others in the region, according to a survey by PIMCO. The ‘PIMCO APAC Investor Sentiment Survey Q4 2020’ shows a surge in optimism compared with the same questions being asked for…

In this article we compare heavyweights Magellan and ClearBridge (previously known as RARE Infrastructure) and their respective infrastructure-focused strategies. While Magellan and its CEO Hamish Douglass need no introduction, the infrastructure fund is run by Gerald Stack. He joined Magellan in 2007 and is both head of investments and head of infrastructure, leading the team…

Are investors looking at a dividend bonanza in 2021? According to Dr Don Hamson, portfolio manager of the Plato Australian Shares Income strategy, the drought may be coming to an end. According to the one of the leading active income investors in the country, investors in the S&P/ASX 200 index are looking at an improved…

The corporate regulator, ASIC, has continued its busy start to the year, releasing three legislative instruments this week stemming from the recommendations from the Hayne Royal Commission. The subject of these latest releases, which will guide ASIC’s assessment of financial service providers, relates to the ‘written consent’ required for advisers to deduct fees from client…

This year The Inside Network held its industry-leading Environmental, Social and Governance or ESG Masterclass with some of Australia’s leading thinkers from the sector, to engage with and discuss some of the biggest problems humankind is facing, and the role of investors and advisers in contributing to a more sustainable economy. Hosted by Giselle Roux,…

This is not another “now is the time for value” story. Really. Perhaps the unique nature of the market’s record run in growth over value has been to do with our definition of value. Here are some alternative thoughts. According to a paper from Amundi Asset Management, ‘Do Not Give Up on Fundamental Valuations’, investors are struggling…

For some investors, raising the idea of investing in corporate private debt brings almost immediate questions about the risk of default, the security of the loan and even why a company would raise debt and not equity. Yet almost every day we make debt-like investments, a term deposit being the simplest, through which you are…

ASX sinks to first loss in a month, retailers powering ahead, materials weaker The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week on a negative note, falling 0.6%, delivering the first weekly loss in over a month, down 0.9%. It seems the number of divergent outcomes for 2021 is increasing by the day, with talk of an inflation spike, countered…

ASX continues to weaken, unemployment surprises, NZ nearing second recession The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished another 0.7% lower on Thursday, with every sector but miners and retailers falling. Amongst the biggest detractors were the Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) and CSL Ltd (ASX:CSL), down 1.6% and 1.9% respectively. The sell-off came despite what appears to be great news for the economy; the unemployment rate…

Often used to describe a particular type of investment style – for example, the High Conviction Equities Fund – “conviction” is all the rage in equity markets today. This type of strategy usually holds between 20-30 stocks (or any other asset, for that matter) which are considered high-quality blue-chip investments that have a strong competitive position and high market…

Not that long ago a fund manager could provide a mesmerising presentation slide on how it uses “big data.” Examples might be using Google Earth to discern real-time movement in shopping centres, building activity based on shadowing over the day and seasons as structures grew in size, right down to the mundane of what was…