Markets

2020 will go down as a wild ride in the markets for a multitude of reasons. Heightened volatility and drawdown events have put capital preservation, absolute return, and downside management back in focus. Global infrastructure & utility stocks have been front and centre of that volatility – and a new product to launch next month…

ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) falls 0.5%, Telstra (ASX:TLS) outperforms, US market falls ASX to open lower It was a mixed day for the ASX200 (ASX:XJO) taking a breather after what has been a hectic few days.  Most sectors were down, with telecommunications and consumer discretionary the standouts, adding 1.9% and 1.0% on company specific news.  Wesfarmers…

While investing following strong and integrated ESG principles does not readily spring to mind when considering China there is more action going on across the sustainability space there than many people think. The building blocks are already in place: a growing green credit market that is encouraging companies to invest in ESG-related projects, strategic government…

It’s been a long time coming, yet it may finally be here. The arbitrary cap on the allowable number of SMSF members, limiting funds to just four people, appears set to be lifted. The legislation has been delayed due to the pandemic but the proposal to increase the maximum number of members from four to…

Rotation rally continues, ASX 1.7% higher, Commonwealth Bank (ASX:CBA) reports, US markets mixed, ASX to open positive The rotation rally continued on Wednesday as investors adjusted portfolios to what appears to be a sooner than expected return to normal. Every sector finished higher, with COVID beneficiaries including Consumer Discretionary (+0.7%) and healthcare (0.2%) among the ‘weakest’….

ASX rallies on vaccine news, cyclical rotation in full flight, Westfield (ASX:URW) jumps 43.5% The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) finished just 0.7% above open despite trading as much as 2.5% higher during the day on news of Pfizer’s (NYSE:PFE) successful vaccine trials.  For those interested, reports suggest that the treatment has 90% efficacy in protecting from…

Optimism abound, ASX up 4.4% for the week, Macquarie (ASX:MQG) profit falls 32% The week finished where it began, the ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) adding 0.8% taking the gain to 4.4% with every sector finishing the week higher.  The key driver was real estate (+8.3%) and consumer discretionary (+6.8%) businesses the key drivers as a combination of loosening border restrictions…

Markets to open higher, ASX up 1.3% on the back of CSL (ASX: CSL), National Australia Bank (ASX: NAB) profit crushed, ‘Nirvana’ for sharemarkets. The ASX 200 (ASX: XJO) delivered another strong day as it became more clear that Joe Biden would be the next President of the United States. Despite the election still being…

And still they keep coming – here’s the fourth instalment of our series on the fascinating ASX cohort of medical device developers. As always, don’t let the impressive sexiness of the technology persuade you on its own that these stocks are headed for the stars. In each of the three cases presented here, previous investors…

Long-short strategies, which involve giving a fund manager the flexibility to profit when share prices rise or fall, were gaining traction before the pandemic. The trend has continued to accelerate since, but they remain an underrepresented part of most investor portfolios. Whether due to a lack of understanding or perceived higher risk, heightened equity market…

ASX finishes flat, Biden now likely to win Presidency, Woolworths (ASX:WOW) continues to pivot The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) finished broadly flat for the day, oscillating between a loss of 1.5% to a slight gain as initial election results filtered through.  The day, though, was a story of two sectors, financials and banks and banks taking…

ASX stumbles to worst week since April, AMP (ASX:AMP) under offer, Resmed (ASX:RMD) upgrades earnings The ASX 200 (ASX:XJO) delivered its worst week since April, falling 3.9% after Friday’s 0.5% weaker close.  That said, it was a strong month given the background of uncertainty with the index 1.9% higher.  By far the news of the day was under…