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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

Investment strategies

High quality businesses are on sale

Beneath the dominance of the ASX's largest stocks, much of the market has been left behind. High-quality companies are now trading at levels rarely seen, offering opportunities for investors willing to look deeper.

Investment strategies

The whirlwind is upon us

Something unusual is happening in markets. The winners are pulling further ahead at an extraordinary pace. As return dispersion hits extreme levels, volatility is rising and the investing landscape is becoming harder to navigate.

Strategy

Inequality destabilises economies

Extreme wealth concentration is no longer just a side effect of growth. As inequality deepens, its consequences are shifting from a social concern to a broader threat to economic stability and democratic resilience.

Investment strategies

Have AI’s four horsemen arrived?

AI exuberance is colliding with economic reality. Cracks are emerging as spending surges, ROI remains uncertain and enterprise behaviour shifts. The next phase may look less like an expansion and more like a reckoning.

Taxation

Budget tax changes only scratch the surface. Here are 4 reforms Australia needs next

The 2026 budget has reignited Australia’s tax reform debate, but more work remains. Beneath the surface lies a harder question: what structural reforms are needed to make the country's tax system fit for the future?

Taxation

Negative gearing: quarantined, not killed

The Budget's negative gearing changes defer deductions rather than deny them, yet a worked example shows quarantining can halve the tax benefit's present value for buyers of established dwellings.

Investment strategies

Family offices have quietly taken over Australian private capital

In just four years, Australia's private capital landscape has transformed. We are seeing changes across who deploys capital, how deals are structured and why new platforms and investor pathways are rapidly emerging.

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