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Tuesday, 18 May 2021
Recently trending The risk-return tradeoff: What’s the right asset mix for a 5% return?How long will my retirement savings last?Buffett's favourite indicator versus all-in equitiesIn fact, most people have no super when they dieFive timeless lessons from a life in investing
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Rather than marking the end of a bull run for technology, the recent sell-off is just a healthy correction and offers a great buying opportunity into technology leaders that have strong long-term earnings growth.
The Australian stock market is skewed towards mining and financial services which account for a whopping 55% of market capitalisation. In the US, these two account for only 17%. But there's more to our underperformance.
When we think about investing, we think about buying. The intricacies of the selling decisions are frequently overlooked, and poor selling is correlated to a lack of conviction. Selling is as important as buying.
Social media, app and trading platforms that drive retail participation also open doors for greater volatility. Ironically, easy money is contributing to market risks, with shorting hit by spiking to the upside.
After a strong rally since March 2020, markets are increasingly worrying about the threat of inflation and higher interest rates. Ironically, it might be at a time of strong economic growth which benefits companies.
It has been three decades, and Japanese equities are still not back up to all-time highs reached at the end of one of the greatest bull markets in global history in 1989. Can we have lost decades in Australia too?
We tend to think of the 'stockmarket' as one beast, but it pays to know the drivers of the different parts, especially global versus Australian stocks. The outlook favours global due to better sector exposure.
By now, we know 'growth' stocks have outperformed 'value' for many years and investors look to the future, but there are good reasons why the switch is on, especially as value companies emerge from the pandemic.
Nobody knows how to pick the bottom of the market, but new investors did well in 2020. They captured most of the returns since the lows, and contrary to popular opinion, they are not punting away on tech stocks.
The 60/40 portfolio has been the mainstay of 'default' Australian investing, but large allocations to bonds compromise returns when rates are low. Strategies with exposures negatively-correlated to equities are needed.
A high level of spending capacity is left in consumers which will support consumer-related stocks for a longer period than is factored into current share prices. Savers have lots of money sitting in the bank.
Members of the Reddit army who believed they were inside the tent sharing views with fellow rebels cannot know who is on the other side of their trades - or even who they are talking to in their group.
Conservative investors are forced to choose between protecting capital and accepting lower income while drawing down capital to maintain living standards or taking additional risk. How can you strike a balance?
Many self-funded retirees will outlive their savings as most men and women now aged 65 will survive at least another 20 years. Compare your spending with how much you earn to see how long your money will last.
Peter Thornhill shows how his personal portfolio has thrived under an 'all-in equities' strategy, but Warren Buffett's favourite valuation indicator says stock markets are priced at their most extreme ever.
Contrary to the popular belief supported by the 'fact base' of the Retirement Income Review, four in every five Australians aged 60 and over have no super in the period up to four years before their death.
40 years of investing is distilled into five crucial lessons. An overall theme is to embrace uncertainty to make an impact on how much you earn, how much you spend, how much you save and how much risk you take.
Josh Frydenberg's third budget contained changes to superannuation and other rules but their effective date is expected to be 1 July 2022. Take care not to confuse them with changes due on 1 July 2021.