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16 May 2026
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* According to Morningstar, Australian share funds experienced net outflows of almost $10 billion in 2012, at exactly the wrong time for the subsequent rally.
Amid the bucket loads of optimism and faith, just as you want to rush out of the room and buy some gold bullion or gold shares, along comes somebody to spoil the party.
* With our close focus on cash rates, it's easy to overlook longer term rates rising. Rates are up about 0.6% since June 2012, creating capital losses on long duration portfolios.
How well must the market perform for a geared portfolio to deliver better returns than a normal, ungeared portfolio? Or put another way, if the market index rises or falls 10%, how much will a geared strategy change in value?
* The AFR monitors 11 investment bank forecasts for the S&P/ASX200 (currently 5069) at the end of the year. The range is 4000 to 5200.
Inflation doesn’t just raise today’s bills - it quietly increases the amount needed to retire, while simultaneously making it harder to save. Three steps to take before June 30th to improve retirement outcomes.
AI fears have shifted from bubble talk to disruption anxiety, driving investors toward asset-heavy, 'AI-resistant' businesses while punishing many software and service firms. This environment may be ripe for stock pickers.
Private markets can offer diversification and return potential, but their opacity, scale and wide dispersion of outcomes make manager selection and due diligence critical for non‑institutional investors.
Global REITs have fallen out of favour, trading at deep discounts after years of underperformance, despite resilient earnings and improving fundamentals.
True financial success isn’t about how much you make, but whether you can sustain it — survival is the only win that matters.
Why Australia's biggest energy bet may already be redundant while a less celebrated government program is exceeding expectations.
Assets that deliver emotional satisfaction tend to offer lower financial returns, as investors accept an “emotional yield” in place of performance which shapes how investors approach ESG and unpopular assets.