investments

In a year when a global pandemic, recession and record-low interest rates took centre stage, a growing number of specialist managers, including many high-profile names, failed to beat the market last financial year. Yet with market dispersion continuing to grow, active management has never been more valuable. The first quarter of 2020 saw an unprecedented…

While investing following strong and integrated ESG principles does not readily spring to mind when considering China there is more action going on across the sustainability space there than many people think. The building blocks are already in place: a growing green credit market that is encouraging companies to invest in ESG-related projects, strategic government…

Progress on diversity across the whole investment industry has remained disappointingly slow, according to a paper from Willis Towers Watson (WTW), the global investment consulting, funds management, and insurance broking firm. It has decided on direct engagement with fund managers to pick up the pace. In its paper published yesterday (October 26), entitled ‘Diversity in the…

It seems to be a rite of passage these days, investment bankers heading out on their own to start asset management businesses. Times are good. So good that the Australian market is flooded with boutique investment managers ranging from global equity to small cap strategies seeking to build their careers and profitable businesses at the…

More than a sport, a financial mismatch There is an awkward, yet in many ways predictable, relationship between investors and the providers of investments. An old-fashioned assessment of demand and supply can be helpful. If equity market exuberance is high, any listing attracts the heat of attention and can be sold to eager investors hoping…

The mention of emerging markets (EM) opens up a messy vista of many complex and troublesome issues, not least in China, representing the beating heart of EM. Add in a lack of central bank independence, volatile currencies, unpredictable governments and it is little wonder that EM struggles with a risk/return balance. Through to the end…

Return of the A$ Corporate Hybrid Market Many of us who are old enough will remember the once-thriving ASX-listed corporate hybrid market as a constant feature of the pre-GFC Australian credit landscape, with the innovatively named Multiplex SITES, Fairfax PRESSES and Dexus RENTS securities (among others) offering returns and features to meet the risk appetites…

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…

Building a financial advisery practice isn’t easy. From regulation to compliance, overheads to staff wages and client reporting to administration, there are so many time-consuming, ad hoc tasks that take up the time of an adviser which could be better spent dealing with clients. The solution? Streamline and automate manual, time consuming processes. And this…

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…