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Home / Author: Hugh Dive

Hugh Dive

Bank reporting season scorecard: May 2018

Our regular check on the 'star' performances from the Australian banks' May 2018 reporting season in the face of low credit growth, increased regulatory scrutiny and the sales of insurance and wealth management divisions.

Short selling is harder than you think

The rapid price fall of Blue Sky following a poor report from a foreign seller makes it look as if short selling is easy, but there are many risks and details to consider along the way.

Banks reporting season Scorecard 2017

A look at the 'star' performances from the Australian banks' financial results for 2017 and how they have handled non-bank competition, government levies and business divestments.

Why instos don’t invest in residential housing

Institutional investors have little interest in investing in residential property due to the low yields and favourable taxation concessions offered to owner occupiers and retail investors.

Who pays if your apartment building catches fire?

The Grenfell Tower disaster highlighted dangers posed by faulty building materials. It’s usually property owners that bear the majority of the costs for correcting ill-considered policy or builders’ mistakes.

Behind the headline profit numbers

There's more to a company's profitability than the headline dollar figure. Measures such as return on equity, return on assets and profit margin can provide a much better and balanced perspective.

Latest Updates

Fixed interest

Higher yields are creating opportunities in global bonds

Bond markets are adjusting to a new reality, but not in the ways investors expect. With markets repricing and capital competing for attention, investors may need to rethink where resilience and opportunity lie. 

Economy

Are we in a recession?

What if the warning signs are already everywhere? From supermarket aisles to company failures, investors are being bombarded with recession signals. But most face a different risk that can be just as dangerous for portfolios. 

SMSF strategies

Meg on SMSFs - Division 296 actuarial certificates

The tax bill might be yours, but the event that caused it may not be. A key Division 296 calculation can sometimes attribute earnings in ways that many SMSF trustees won't instinctively expect or fully appreciate.

Property

The first impact of negative gearing reform is not the tax bill

Negative gearing changes formally begin in 2027, but the first consequences may already be here. A subtle shift is quietly influencing who can borrow, how much they can access and which property strategies still stack up.

Economy

The oil market is running out of easy answers

The biggest threat to markets may not be what investors are watching. The numbers have stopped adding up and supply is harder to measure, with forecasts becoming simple guesses. A more fragile reality is being masked.

Investment strategies

The state of investor knowledge in Australia

Australians are investing more than ever, yet a surprising divide is emerging between those building wealth effectively and those making costly mistakes. Surprisingly, the gap has little to do with income, age or starting capital.

Taxation

Complexity and capital gains

A case study shows that the ‘30% minimum CGT’ is a poorly conceived tax that adds significant complexity to an already over-complex system. A less complicated model would create a much fairer progressive tax scale.

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