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7 February 2026
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Going global, mid-cap focus, 2017-2018 market results, Cooper on retirement, Ruthven on wealth distribution, rules of global investing, higher rates.
Companies ranked 51st to 100th by ASX capitalisation are in the mid-cap sector. They have better historic returns, industry diversity, insider ownership, and growth prospects than the S&P/ASX50.
The definition of capitalism needs modernising, including how a company treats its personnel and customers. Socially responsible companies significantly outperform the averages in job creation and ROE.
The Australian market again delivered strong returns in 2017-2018 with big sector differences, but there were large variations in global performance depending on the currency hedging strategy.
This exclusive early access to IIR's Monthly Report includes the latest recommendations on global LICs, and a summary of the Active ETFs listed on the ASX. There's now a lot of choice in global listed funds.
Life expectancies have increased dramatically since the nineties, but the uncertainty is forcing retirees to live too frugally. The super industry is switching its attention to the drawdown phase to find better solutions.
Income taxes in Australia are over 2.5 times larger than the 'spending' taxes such as GST, excise, and stamp duties. The latest legislation ignored reforms in taxing spending over saving again.
In many valuations, the ‘Golden Rule’ is being broken. Earnings growth is assuming the sort of strong economic activity that would trigger higher interest rates, yet investors are delinking the two.
The Royal Commission criticises incentives and rewards across financial services, but they have a place if they are properly structured. Just ask the legal people involved how their hard work is recognised.
What are the best ways to build a simple portfolio from scratch? I’ve addressed this issue before but think it’s worth revisiting given markets and the world have since changed, throwing up new challenges and things to consider.
At this time last year, I forecast that 2025 would likely be a positive year given strong economic prospects and disinflation. The outlook for this year is less clear cut and here is what investors should do.
Treasury has released draft legislation for a new version of the controversial $3 million super tax. It's a significant improvement on the original proposal but there are some stings in the tail.
The renowned investor says 2025’s real story wasn’t AI or US stocks but the shift away from American assets and a collapse in the value of money. And he outlines how to best position portfolios for what’s ahead.
The predictions include dividends will outstrip growth as a source of Australian equity returns, US market performance will be underwhelming, while US government bonds will beat gold.
We don’t have a housing shortage; we have housing misallocation. This explores why so many bedrooms go unused, what’s been tried before, and five things to unlock housing capacity – no new building required.