Opinion

While every self-directed investor knows that Australia’s sharemarket represents just 2 per cent of the world’s listed companies, investing into overseas markets remains a bridge too far for most. ASX-listed exchange-traded funds remain the most popular, however, the likes of iShares S&P500 (ASX: IVV) is gaining in popularity. The most common concerns cited by prospective…

Where CRE debt fits in a defensive portfolio with an income focus The problem with bonds Times are tough for investors or advisers looking to add value through a defensive portfolio. Defensive, or income assets, aim to provide income rather than capital growth. They generally carry a lower investment risk than shares or property, with…

Implausible doesn’t mean impossible. But it remains to be seen whether the “creative destruction” that ARK Invest is banking on can trump the possibility that we’ve been in a bubble all along. They’re what legendary investor/prophet of doom Jeremy Grantham calls “super-crazies” – the wildly overvalued assets that start to appear shortly before the bubble…

Evergrande, debt ceiling and volatility September saw the end of the strongest period for markets in several decades, with most major indices posting a negative monthly return. This ended a run of as many of eleven months without such a result, all starting when the COVID-19 vaccines were announced in November 2020. The Australian market…

Among many other lessons, the pandemic has brought with it the realisation that none of us is invincible. The virus doesn’t discriminate is what the health experts have been telling us for close to two years now. Naturally, 2020 and 2021 has seen a significant increase in interest in estate planning. Young and old, everyone…

Specialist small- and micro-cap Australian equities investment manager NAOS Asset Management has taken its philosophy into the private markets, with the launch of its Private Opportunities Fund, for which it is seeking to raise at least $35 million. The fund will invest in up to 20 private companies that NAOS identifies as being profitable, having…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a defining event for everyone. It has impacted people’s livelihoods, social habits and finances in so many ways. In Australia, the pandemic has served as a wake-up call for people about how they manage their finances and how to prepare for their future. In a survey undertaken by the Financial…

One of the most powerful trends of 2020 was no doubt the huge surge in retail investors joining the stockmarket frenzy. With fresh stimulus cheques and stay-at-home orders in place, many turned to shares to pass their time. In a world where financial literacy remains incredibly low, any engagement with investing should be seen as…

Russell Investments has released its Q4 Global Market outlook research note, titled “Growing Pains.” It is appropriately titled, with the research team seeing a confluence of factors over-hanging the market placing negative pressure on investor confidence. These factors include the Delta variant, inflation and central bank tapering. While the post-Covid recovery is expected to resume,…

Last week, China sent a strong message to the cryptocurrency world. In an unprecedented move it banned all cryptocurrencies in the country, making it illegal to transact. The People’s Bank of China (PBOC) issued a warning saying, “virtual currency-related business activities are illegal financial activities.” The government has long seen Bitcoin and other forms of…

Investors seeking to generate above-average returns need to identify and capitalise on some of the trends occurring today that have the potential to become the megatrends of tomorrow. ETF Securities recently released a white paper outlining the megatrends that investors should watch in a post-COVID world. Prior to the pandemic, investors were capitalising on companies…

With the world transitioning to green renewable energy, so too are the energy and resources companies of Australia as they seek to meet the continuing shift in energy generation away from traditional fossil fuel sources. According to the RBA’s Renewable Energy Investment in Australia bulletin, “Significant coal-fired generation capacity will be retired over coming decades…