COVID-19

Investors ready themselves for Covid-normal And just like that, this crazy year is almost over. As we head into Christmas, Melburnians will breathe a sigh of relief after a marathon lockdown is lifted and the state readies for a “COVID-normal Christmas” – whatever that is. While markets largely shrugged off the COVID effect, it’s been…

And still they keep coming – here’s the fifth instalment of our series on the fascinating ASX cohort of medical device developers. As always, don’t let the impressive sexiness of the technology persuade you on its own that these stocks are headed for the stars. In each of the three cases presented here, previous investors…

If you’re looking for some generous dividend-paying stocks before the end of the year, you’ll find that the usual suspects – the banks, Telstra, and the real estate investment trusts (REITs) – have fallen in share price due to COVID-19, but that their dividend yields have remained quite high (although the REITs don’t offer franking)….

The Federal Government delivered it’s delayed but much needed annual Budget last week. The conclusion: massive deficits, tax cuts and a boon for businesses large and small. Whilst positive, there was little in the way of support for the businesses most impacted by forced Government shutdowns, being tourism, travel and education, with the Budget effectively…

The venerable AT&T, with its beginnings traced back to Alexander Graham Bell in 1877, is the Telstra of the United States. It is the largest provider of mobile and fixed telephone services, not only in the US, but in the world, going by total revenue. AT&T also provides Pay-TV services through DirecTV. So, you could…

What ASX stocks to buy if Trump or Biden wins the Presidency? In last week’s article we explored the possibility of a Trump second-term presidency and a Biden Presidency. When it comes to politics, we keep opinions and views separate from investment decisions as they rarely add any great significance to the share market. In…

Focusing on three sectors of Australian shares for direct purchases, sectors favoured by SMSF trustees and other individual investors, Morningstar offered its top picks at the annual Morningstar Investment Conference last week (October 8-9). Cognisant of market volatility, valuations, dividend policies and the importance of fundamentals in uncertain times, three Morningstar researchers – Johannes Faul,…

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…

Australia has followed the US in bouncing back with new sharemarket listings after a hefty slump during much of the first half of the calendar year, at least in terms of the number of initial public offerings (IPOs). In the absence of any mega listings, Australia is still unlikely to break any records in terms…

A clear correlation has emerged between risk appetite during the COVID-19 pandemic and the age of investors, with Australian ‘millennials’ – aged 24-39 – among the most proactive globally, according to a survey of 1,800 people in six countries. Australian investors of all ages are also among the most bullish globally. The survey was conducted…