Asset management

It is an all-too-common occurrence these days that a financial adviser meets a prospective client following a significant inheritance, divorce or in the worst-case death of a partner, with the surviving party having little in the way of financial let alone investment experience. The sheer strength of asset markets in recent years is that almost…

Why make it so hard? Occasionally, maybe even frequently, we come across investment strategies that are unexplored or even unknown. Naturally, the first port of call is a search engine to see what we can learn. Regrettably the outcome is rarely enlightening. Most have a promo picture and vapid words, a list of the team…

After an impressive rise in 2020, tech stocks have been hit by selling pressure so far this year. One tech sector that has defied the recent trend is robotics and automation. The ETFS ROBO Global Robotics and Automation ETF (ROBO) is up more than 4.9 per cent in the first five months of the year,…

Zenith CEO David Wright has warned that advisers are turning away from alternative assets at a time when they may become more important than ever. Speaking to media on Thursday, Wright voiced concerns that advisers were abandoning alternative assets despite the possibility of “stronger than forecast inflation” and heightened market volatility. “There does appear to…

Passive management is often considered an economical way to get market exposure, with good risk diversification and few surprises beyond what the market delivers. However, indexing also means any return is limited to benchmark performance. What if there was a compromise? Read article.

One of the (many) headaches of the current financial market setup is the lack of return on cash or term deposits that can hold onto the real value of money. This is a modest but important ask. Many investors want an unreasonably large liquidity pool that will have no risk of capital loss well beyond…

The world of investing has for a long time been viewed as a game most suited to older people, who have had the time to accumulate capital, or finance-oriented people with the experience to understand what is happening, and to be able to keep up with the constant volatility of trading on the share market….

Emerging markets have been among the most popular targets for allocations from financial advisers in recent months. Whether it is the strength of the economic recovery in Asia, or the more attractive yields available on sovereign and corporate debt, Australian advisers are finally embracing the sector. One group with extensive experience is Eaton Vance, a…

As the COVID recovery gathers momentum, it is interesting to consider which sectors and companies are benefiting from the short-term boost of temporary stimulus measures and which present long-term opportunities as global growth recovers. We have identified three themes that frame our thinking about the long-term prospects of Australian small cap stocks: adding to high…

Challenger Financial Group (ASX: CGF) and its suite of asset management businesses have started 2021 off the same way 2020 finished. As part of their half yearly accounts, the company flagged a partnership with $500 billion Japanese asset manager Nomura Asset Management as both seek global diversification. According to the deal, Nomura and Fidante will work…

While nearly all the fussing on equity valuation and bubbles is centred on the US, Europe, Japan and the emerging markets (EMs) have provided decent returns year-to-date, after a prolonged period of relative underperformance, but stumbled in the face of rising Treasury rates. These regions are largely absent from the hype that is currently associated…

Let’s get real The financial chatter box is overflowing on bond movements and the potential impact on valuation of risk assets. Inevitably the long-duration equities are front of mind. Most are focused on the FAGAM (Facebook, Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft) or other similar stocks where the valuation is considered to reflect long-term thematic growth. On…