Markets

Blistering start slows, ASX down 0.9%, bond rates higher, Bitcoin falls 20% After a blistering opening to the year in which the ASX200 (ASX:XJO) added 2.6%, attention once again turned to the economic outlook, sending the ASX200 down 0.9% on Monday. Every sector but energy weakened, with the IT sector the hardest hit falling 2.2%, Afterpay (ASX:APT) a key detractor down…

This piece of advice from Zehrid Osmani, portfolio manager of the global unconstrained strategy at Franklin Templeton boutique, Martin Currie, couldn’t have been more pertinent than in 2020. Osmani, who joined from BlackRock in 2020, suggests this is one of the most important traits of success in the investment management industry, but particularly in the…

The recent surge in the market value of Bitcoin (BTC) has made headlines this holiday season as the underlying structure of the market continues to attract more institutional investors. Recent announcements from global leading fund managers, corporations and insurance companies have highlighted a seismic shift in an investor base focused on Bitcoin’s value proposition of…

Quantitative easing, negative interest rates, and modern monetary theory (MMT) have all but forced the end of the 30-year bull market in government bonds; or have they? As we enter 2021 the chorus of commentators warning of significant capital losses on long-term bond investments and the reducing diversification benefits of that holding continues to grow….

ASX finishes flat, border closures hit travel, AGL Energy downgrades, weaker open ahead The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished flat to begin the week, with news that US politicians finally agreed on a USD$900 billion stimulus package not enough to offset the NSW outbreak and subsequent border closures. Every sector was lower apart from materials and consumer staples, with the latter benefitting…

Winning streak hits seven weeks, A2 Milk (ASX:A2M) and Mesoblast (ASX:MSB) battered The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) managed to overcome a 1.2% fall to cap off the seventh straight week of gains, adding 0.5%. The IT sector continued to lead the way behind Afterpay (ASX:APT), finishing 5.9% higher, whilst energy lost 2.4% as the US economy appeared to weaken. The biggest…

Santa rally continues, all eyes on financials, Rex Airlines (ASX:REX) gets approved The ASX200 (ASX:XJO) finished 0.7% higher after a positive overseas lead, with every sector finishing higher. Attention once again turned to the technology sector, with BNPL players Afterpay (ASX:APT) and Zip (ASX:Z1P) finishing 4.2% and 6.7% higher. While these companies have been flagged as Australia’s technology leaders, the true nature of…

ASX 200 falls 0.4%, China flags iron ore concerns, Vicinity (ASX:VCX) confirms dividend A weak global lead pushed the ASX200 (ASX:XJO) down 0.4% today, with the China Iron and Steel Association flagging concerns about the ballooning iron ore price at the same time that maintenance hit export volumes in November. BHP (ASX:BHP) and Fortescue (ASX:FMG) bore the brunt down 2.3% and 3.1% respectively.  Yet…

In the final weeks of the year, there appear the inevitable reports on what eventuated in 2020, coupled with the near-universal view that 2021 is lining up as another risk-on whopper. Rates will remain range-bound, therefore we can bunker down in equities and anything else that takes our fancy outside of bonds. History suggests that…

After what has been a busy (and impressive) year for relative new-comer Federation Asset Management, it could have been forgiven for putting the cue in the rack come Christmas. Yet the group, led by ex-Macquarie banker Cameron Brownjohn, just launched what may be an Australian first: a pure-play investment fund investing in the renewable energy…

To say the last few years have been testing for advisers would be a gross understatement. The reverberations of the Hayne Royal Commission, which highlighted important issues, though mainly those faced by vertically integrated institutions, has led to a big increase in compliance costs and regulatory hurdles. The result in many cases has been the…

Six consecutive weeks of gains, CSL (ASX:CSL) lower as vaccine pulled, Fortescue (ASX:FMG) overtakes ANZ Bank (ASX:ANZ) The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) finished the week on a negative note, falling 0.6%, but managed to deliver its sixth straight week of gains, adding 0.1% over the five days. The majority of the weakness was driven by the 3.2% fall in CSL (ASX:CSL)…