COVID-19

The concept of ESG has been a key driver of fund flows, but most importantly marketing strategies, in recent years. Nearly every fund manager worth their salt has a well-written ESG strategy, outlining its views on the most important issues facing investors, management, and boards. Not to mention the expanding set of “sustainable” and ESG-focused…

It’s been a while since “value investing” made sense: the style has suffered a dreadful stretch of performance since the 2008 financial crisis. The ‘Warren Buffett’ mantra of buying low (cheap) and selling high has seen value-oriented managers underperform the market year after year. But that’s not to say value investing is dead, it’s just…

Australia has slipped from third place in the world rankings for adequacy, sustainability and integrity of our super system to fourth place, being leap-frogged by new entrant Israel. The impact of COVID-19 has cost almost all systems, particularly those which allowed access to savings or relaxed contributions rules. The Mercer CFA Institute 12th annual global…

If you are looking for one word to describe 2020, ‘volatility’ would seem to fit the bill. Every aspect of our lives, whether it be financially, socially, or work, has been like a roller-coaster ride. Into lockdown, out of lockdown. Often isolated from family or close friends. And then coping with investment markets that have…

Hamish Douglass, the CIO of Magellan Financial Group, who oversees the largest Australian-owned global funds manager and is the current darling of both the wholesale and retail investor sectors, is relatively sanguine about the possible market impact of the US election, but a bit more worried about COVID-19. Douglass, also Magellan’s co-founder, with Chris Mackay,…

Shareholders of Link Administration Holdings (LNK), which provides services to the funds management and superannuation sectors and runs the share registry for many of the S&P/ASX 200 companies, have become the latest group to experience the tailwind that a takeover offer can suddenly blow on to a becalmed share price. Last weekend, a consortium of…

Here’s the fourth instalment of our series on the fascinating ASX cohort of medical device developers. ImpediMed (IPD, 8.1 cents)Market capitalisation: $83.8 millionThree-year total return: -52.7% a yearAnalysts’ consensus target price: 14 cents (Thomson Reuters) You would not know it from the share price performance over the last few years, but Brisbane-based ImpediMed has put…

Like everyone, Eben Bowditch, head of sales at Invesco Australia, was trying to navigate the abnormal and difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic and wondering about the wellbeing of others. Was everyone feeling as disconnected as he was? Bowditch started to think about a way of creating stronger links among the financial services community. Other…

This week we had the pleasure of speaking with the exceptional Fabio Ferro, Director of Scala Private Wealth. Specialising in investment advice for high-net-worth families, Fabio is an avid writer and outspoken market commentator. Here’s what he had to say: Favourite weekend activity in COVID-19 lockdown? Heading out cycling with my boys. What was your…

Before last week’s positive COVID-19 test, there was little doubt President Trump was on the comeback trail. Amid signs of an economic recovery, positivity around hopes for a vaccine, and progress on another fiscal stimulus package, all was looking up for a second term. Then came the ‘Presidential Debate,’ in which Trump brought Democratic candidate…