Opinion

Global investment consultant and support network to the pension fund industry, bfinance, this week released its latest Market Intelligence and Market Trends report, covering the final quarter of 2021. While the world has changed dramatically since the calendar turned over, there are some powerful insights for financial advisers and other asset allocators. According to its…

Floods, fires, landslides, earthquakes. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, the impacts of climate change are becoming more pronounced, with many still struggling to understand the implications they have for various asset classes. Long the stalwart of institutional portfolios, commercial properties are among the oldest asset classes in the world, having been…

While watching one of the most popular TV series in recent years, Billions, which follows the story of hedge fund billionaires, you wouldn’t necessarily expect to gain business ideas or insights. Perhaps investment ideas given that the characters in the series are known for pushing the limits to generate the maximum return possible, but definitely…

With climate change front and centre of every investor’s mind, most people think of renewable energy or clean energy production as being primarily solar panels or wind turbines. Often many of the more effective and efficient renewable energy production processes are left out, such as hydro-electricity. Nuclear power is almost always omitted from the “clean…

The Federal Budget unveiled this week was clearly intended to be an election-winning budget prepared to win over the public with many of its generous promises. Budget time doesn’t usually move markets, but with inflation on the rise, the market is on edge. In the 2022-23 budget, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg delivered a long list of…

Speaking at the Inside Network’s Equities and Growth Assets Symposium, the only conference dedicated to this important asset class, co-portfolio manager of the Franklin Global Growth Fund, Francyne Mu said the time was right for investors to start “flipping the script and look beyond the usual suspects” in resetting their equity allocations.   No surprise…

Following-on from the COP26 meeting last November, there has been a tectonic shift towards “green” asset investments to ensure that the (voluntary) national goals of the Paris Agreement are met, and there is a rapid reduction of carbon-dioxide emissions to ‘net zero’ levels. The Australian Financial Review said that as of September 30, “sustainable funds…

Funds under management (FUM) in managed accounts jumped in the second half of 2021, with continued growth expected in 2022 through more volatile asset markets, according to new data from the Institute of Managed Account Professionals (IMAP). As at 31 December 2021, FUM in managed accounts stood at $131.65 billion, an increase of $21.06 billion…

Venture capital has been one of the most popular and profitable sectors in which to operate and invest in the last few years. Traditionally, and ultimately still, the primary domain of the ultra-wealthy, pension funds and statutory investors, the sector has delivered returns exceeding 20 per cent a year for many years now. Private equity…

While global sharemarkets have recovered much of the ground lost due to the Ukraine crisis, US Federal Reserve moves and surging energy costs, there is a general feeling that equities remain on the precipice of a bear market, or at the very least, an extended correction. Whether it is our inherent pessimism towards markets, or…

Inflation has been garnering headlines throughout the world in 2022. Economists, journalists, and investors across the entire asset-class spectrum are all seeking to understand the implications of an inflation rate that has reached multi-decade highs. Yet despite all the headlines, the concept, trends and issues remain poorly understood, that is, according to a recent white…

As the world emerges from the pandemic, economies around the world have re-opened, albeit with record levels of fiscal and monetary stimulus, higher production costs and a global supply chain that has been pushed to its limits. It’s no surprise that inflation expectations are the highest in almost a decade. Inflation should build steadily over…