Opinion

Conversations on investment matters are wide-ranging. Many enjoy the ethereal world of big picture debates. Identifying these in the long run has been critical, but only a handful matter. Interest rates are the perennial, though rarely has the consensus been right. Over much of the past decade the expectation has been that rates will inevitably…

When COVID-19 found its way to Australia the health advice was to mandate social distancing by closing businesses deemed non-essential and restricting people’s movement. The economic consequences were tragic – both at the aggregate level and because certain industries and occupations were far more heavily impeded. A broad and bold policy response was required, and…

The Inside Network welcomed financial advisers, asset consultants, and family offices from around the globe for its first Equities and Growth Assets Symposium this year. At a packed-out event, some of the brightest minds collaborated and discussed the challenges and opportunities in equity markets at a time when the world is seen to be entering…

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…

Advisers all have financial benefit from promoting investments through an advice fee, or percentage of FUM. This is not a value judgement, simply a statement of how this industry and many others work. No one has come up with an alternative model that can balance all the conflicting requirements. Yet, as we know, there will…

After a quick scare in February, which delivered the worst month on record for Australian bond markets and a rare loss for the ‘low-risk’ asset class, markets have quickly normalised. Bond yields continue to retreat despite growing evidence that the global economic recovery is stepping up another gear. Despite this feeling of normality, and perhaps…

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…

“Am I worried about asset prices rising too quickly? At the moment, I don’t see anything that’s unsustainable”. “I recognise that low interest rates are one of the factors contributing to higher housing prices and that high and rising housing prices raise concerns for many people.” “There are various tools, other than higher interest rates,…

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…