Leading investment consultancy bFinance this week released its Insurer Investment Survey, which seeks to understand the investment intentions of the holders of about US$5 trillion ($6.9 trillion) in global capital. With insurance statutory funds among the most powerful investors in the world, the survey provided unique insights into their intentions and strategy. Running a profitable…

2022 was a pivotal year for managed discretionary accounts (MDAs). Funds under management surpassed the magical $100 billion mark for the first time, as the uptake among financial advisers was boosted by Covid-19. According to the Institute of Managed Account Professionals (IMAP), estimates are for funds under management to cruise past the $200 billion mark…

As we enter a post-Covid world, interest rates remain at all-time lows with seemingly no immediate respite. To compound matters, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has given “a very low probability” to the current surge in inflation triggering an early increase in official rates. Inflation has risen somewhat, but in underlying terms the rate…

The team at Evergreen Consultants has released cutting-edge research that reveals the direction markets will take with higher inflation. The 2021 issue of Evergreen Consultants’ Long-Term Expected Returns Framework has made ground-breaking projections that dispel inflationary concerns. Projections show the Australian and global equity markets outpacing most other asset classes in the decade ahead. Evergreen…

One of the more unique offerings in the active global equity sector is the Insync Global Quality Equity Fund, run by the fund manager of the same name. Established in October 2009 as the Insync Global Titans Fund – its name was changed in July 2018 – the fund is a high-conviction, active manager that…

Despite being quite simple in its definition, inconsistent reporting, differing approaches and the dominance of market-cap-weighted funds has meant that factor investing remains among the most misunderstood of investment concepts. Broadly defined, factor investing involves tailoring your investment approach such that it targets the characteristics of companies that have been shown to persistently deliver better…

Where commercial real estate (CRE) debt fits in a defensive portfolio with an income focus The problem with bonds Times are tough for investors or advisers looking to add value through a defensive portfolio. Defensive, or income assets, aim to provide income rather than capital growth. They generally carry a lower investment risk than shares…

Outside equity, fixed income and well-known alternatives there is another world of investment options that rarely find their way into portfolios. Examples include agricultural land and businesses, energy and carbon trading, water rights, fishing licences or music royalties. It is unsurprising that few consider these options, as they are far from simple to judge and…

While the worst of the September-October sell-off in emerging markets is probably over, the sector is still in a tailspin. But the best thing about starting low is that can aim high. For many investors, China’s recent regulatory crackdown has been a waking nightmare. Add on the Delta variant, rolling blackouts, and Evergrande, and it’s…

One of the most important roles of a financial adviser is to assist investors in navigating their own ‘behavioural biases.’ The world of behavioural finance was little known until a few years ago, before being made famous by The Undoing Project, Michael Lewis’ biography of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, two of the founding fathers…

ESG is now a required mantra. The most unusual funds claim this status even if they include gambling, governance recalcitrant or those with socially questionable ethics. A change or improvement is enough to get it over the line regardless of the problematic issues that are imbedded in the company’s business. Even more so are those…

Many concepts in science illustrate the incapacity of the natural world to control everything. Once you introduce or determine an aspect, others fold-in or become uncontrollable. The adage that central banks can try to influence rates, inflation or currency, but not all three, is an example of a parallel problem. China is looking down the…