equities

Having poached a number of high-profile portfolio managers (often at a discount), and with backing from family offices and high net worth investors, new boutique Blackwattle is trying to correct the “inadequacies” of the Australian funds management industry.

Strategies that seek to deliver a pre-determined rate of return over a specified period of time are uncommon, but defined-return investing may be finding its place in the Australian market.

The company has expanded its managed fund and property research offering to include an ASX top 200 listed companies ratings service for the Australian financial advice community.

The current economic cycle is too changeable to set any portfolio to autopilot, according to Mason Stevens’ Jacqueline Fernley. Counterpoints to conviction are needed, and the devil’s advocate should be your friend.

“Gradually, and then suddenly”, the old Hemingway quote goes. The same could be said for corporate earnings, which Ruffer’s Jasmine Yeo believes are in danger of taking a sharp southerly turn.

Dividend investing can be a good source of defensive income in volatile times, but changing fundamentals mean resources companies and banks may be the weaker play in 2023, with opportunities emerging beyond these traditional Australian dividend payers – although valuation will be key.

Proactive management and stock picking are, in some ways, two sides of the same coin. But advisers and investors should be aware of their fundamental differences according to HMC Capital.

Eschewing the traditional route, Spatium Capital founders Nicholas Quinn and Jesse Moors grew their short-holding, long-only small companies managed fund from the seeds of a separately managed account.

While commodities proved a safe haven for investors in a brutal 2022, completing a rare two-year run at the top of the asset class returns table, Atchison consultant Kevin Toohey warns against expecting a repeat performance.

Green shoots of relief from central banks will take some time to filter into the economy due to a confluence of factors according to Sage Capital.