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Ashley Owen

A year of good returns and low volatility

Many people have been quoting the Australian shares return for FY2015 as 2.4%, but that is only the price index. The accumulation index is up a healthy 7.1%. All asset classes generated returns well above inflation and cash rates.

Rising bond rates should be good for shares

It is widely believed that rising bond yields should be bad for share prices. But is this true in real life? The relationship between government bond yields and the price of shares is more complex than it first seems.

Feeling lucky? Another stock market spike in China

The spike in the value of Chinese stocks in the last year has reached 120%. Driven by locals using margin debt and foreigners wanting some of the action, how long will it last?

Why investors buy bonds at negative yields

Investing into bonds when you know you will lose money sounds crazy, but aside from interest rates, there’s deflation, economic stability, safety and currency issues to consider.

High dividend yields support equity returns

Over the past seven decades, relatively high ‘real’ dividend yields have pointed to broad equity market rallies ahead. Despite signs of a fully-priced market, investors are still buying for yield.

Australia’s government debt and its ‘lazy balance sheet’

Despite the wide-spread perception that Australia’s debt position is unsustainable, it’s low in an historical sense and when compared to national income. We could be making more use of it.

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Investment strategies

Choose your hedges wisely… and often

A new market regime is exposing the fragility of static hedges. With correlations shifting and safe havens flipping, investors must rethink diversification and adopt more adaptive tools to protect capital.

Investment strategies

Yields take centre stage again

The Australian credit landscape is shifting. Yields are rising, issuance is strong and spreads continue to tighten. Income is re‑emerging as the dominant driver of returns, though pockets of risk may be building beneath the surface.

Investment strategies

The grass is always greener: Rethinking Australian vs global equities

Australia's once‑dominant sharemarket is losing ground as others surge ahead, prompting investors to question home‑bias instincts. Meanwhile, the US market appears attractive. Is it time to revisit your global equity allocation?

Investment strategies

Stop asking if there's a stock market bubble. Ask this instead.

Markets continue to push onwards despite valuations looking stretched by historical standards. Bubble talk is rampant, however investors may be focusing on the wrong thing. The real story sits deeper than the headlines.

Taxation

The GST cannot stop inflation

Raising the GST when inflation jumps sounds clever on paper, until we examine how it may play out in practice. What is pitched as a simple inflation fix can lead to a sharp turn in the wrong direction for prices.

Shares

Why SpaceX is coming to your super fund

SpaceX’s blockbuster debut is grabbing headlines, but the real story for Australian investors is much quieter. Giant listings eventually filter into super funds and ETFs, subtly reshaping portfolios long before most realise.

Taxation

Is the government being honest with us about its business CGT changes?

The government’s assurances on small‑business concessions don’t withstand the scrutiny. Token carve‑outs and a lack of credible rationale for CGT changes may reshape how Australia rewards long‑term value creation. 

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