Markets

A lot of us spend an inordinate amount of time reading through erudite commentators on anything related to markets. ‘Stay informed’ is a common headline logo. Does this collective wisdom improve investment decisions? The current equity rally has a fountain of opinion on why and what it means. Wordplay is part of the fun: FOMA,…

A new take on environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing has emerged with the launch of a fund tackling sustainable opportunities in the water and waste management sectors. Fidelity International recently launched the Fidelity Sustainable Water and Waste Fund in Australia. In what is an under-researched sector, the fund seeks to deliver strong risk-adjusted returns…

JB Hi-Fi (ASX: JBH) has given another update to the market. It’s expecting a big profit jump in FY20. About the company JB Hi-Fi is one of Australia’s largest device and home appliance retailers with its network of The Good Guys and JB Hi-Fi stores. JB Hi-Fi was established in 1974 by Mr. John Barbuto (JB),…

The toughest asset sector in an investment portfolio is the fixed income. Putting aside the difficulties in convincing an investor to have an allocation to fixed income when the conversation is sprinkled with mind-numbing terms such as duration, curves, and spreads, the even greater problem is low yields. Blind Freddie (rubbery etymology, with likely reference…

Magellan Financial Group has done some back office re-engineering to develop what it claims is the next generation of active exchange traded funds – a “one unit” product that allows investors to transact through off-market applications and through the Australian Securities Exchange. Magellan subsidiary Airlie Funds Management has listed the Airlie Australian Share Fund on…

It seems that every day another ASX listed company is announcing a capital raising with mixed results. Most recently, Vicinity Centres revealed a $1.4 billion capital raising and an analyst is telling investors to subscribe. The shopping centre landlord successfully completed the $1.2 billion institutional raise after announcing it on Monday. A non-underwritten security purchase…

At Rask Australia, we believe an investment strategy and process should change when the facts change, as John Maynard Keynes famously said.

Wednesday proved to be another wild day for markets with Australia’s ASX 200 index down over 1% at the open, only to rally 2% and finally finish 5 points down as the session ended.

Low interest rates justify high equity PE’s, and that is particularly so for long duration, high growth equities. So goes the story. It’s worked in recent years and therefore the evidence is there to support the pattern. A simpler argument is that low rates push investors into asset classes that can provide relatively higher returns,…

In the USA, it was Memorial Day. However, a strong lead from the local futures market was enough to send the ASX 200 to an 11-week high on Monday, but over 2% for the day.

Franklin Equity Group’s John Remmert and Donald Huber share which trends they think are permanent and which are likely just a phase.

Amongst the headline noise on virus affected financial conditions, it is surprising that ESG seems to have gained an even stronger foothold.