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20 May 2026
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According to S&P, the majority of active managers continue to underperform their benchmarks. However there are sectors where active styles perform well, and many managers justify their fees.
The renewables industry is hampered by the combination of a shallow venture capital market and capital-intensive technology. The recent power outages in South Australia did not help.
Improving financial literacy and capitalising on the changing investment trends of SMSF trustees, are big opportunities for financial advisers, according to two recent surveys.
If contribution caps and lifetime limits on superannuation are getting in the way of long-term savings goals, there are other tax-effective alternatives available, especially investment bonds for higher income earners.
The wealth industry's focus on building retirement savings to a defined asset value should be replaced by aiming for a sustainable income level, argues Nobel Laureate Robert Merton.
A return to indexation of capital gains would be a fairer way to compensate households for the effects of inflation than the current discount. Importantly, it opens the door to future, broader reforms to stop the taxation of inflation.
Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.
From oil shocks to fractured alliances, the Iran war carries the hallmarks of a historic policy misstep - one that could tip an already fragile global economy into crisis.
Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.
Copper has had a rough few weeks but investors should not ignore the potential for future price increases as supply increasingly falls behind demand.
The budget’s property tax reforms are being framed as fairness measures, but they risk splitting the housing market, penalising lower‑income investors and introducing distortions that may prove costly.
The vast and opaque world of private assets is a powerful gravitational force - and when trouble hits, it's the more liquid public equities that often the feel it first.