8 October 2025

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Simple maths says the AI investment boom ends badly Why we should follow Canada and cut migration Are LICs licked?Australian house price speculators: What were you thinking?Retirement income expectations hit new highs

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Edition: 367

1-8 out of 8 results.

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 367

22 July 2020
1

There is a similarity between the current health crisis and economic crises of the past. For COVID-19, record amounts of biotech funding from government agencies and private companies are looking for a vaccine. Likewise, central banks once struggled treating recessions but the 'vaccine' now is record amounts of financial stimulus to ensure liquidity. While the world awaits a COVID treatment, markets are purring along, at least until side effects hit.

A hard dose reality check on vaccines

Rod Skellet
22 July 2020
31

With 160 programmes underway and billions of dollars spent on COVID-19 vaccines, investors are drawn to optimistic news. However, the company that has developed most new vaccines has a sober view.

Two great examples of why company management matters

Matt Williams
22 July 2020
1

It’s not only products and business models that create wealth. Management teams make decisions on how to deploy capital and such actions drive vastly different outcomes over time.

How we have invested during COVID-19

Paul Xiradis
22 July 2020
5

With signs that the economic recession will not be as deep as first feared, many companies will emerge strongly with robust business models. Here are the sectors with the best opportunities.

Five principles from the lost decade of value investing

Raewyn Williams
22 July 2020
3

Value investing is a long-cycle play, but a decade (and counting) of waiting for mean reversion has tested the faith of even long-horizon investors. Some basic principles are worth assessing.

Is the '4% rule' for retirement broken?

Christine Benz
22 July 2020
6

The traditional 4% rule was designed to ensure retirees do not run out of money, but low interest rates and expensive equity markets question the sustainability of the level. What are the alternatives?

Hedging for capital preservation

Noel Whittaker
22 July 2020
8

New ways to hedge the risks in an equity portfolio are now readily available, including bear funds designed to make money when the market falls. They're not for everyone so check with a financial adviser.

A year coloured by what I have read

Amit Lodha
22 July 2020
1

The lockdowns and less physical travel give more time to read and reflect. This article shares some favourite books including key investment implications from asking if the glass is half full or half empty.

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Most viewed in recent weeks

Simple maths says the AI investment boom ends badly

This AI cycle feels less like a revolution and more like a rerun. Just like fibre in 2000, shale in 2014, and cannabis in 2019, the technology or product is real but the capital cycle will be brutal. Investors beware.

Harris Kupperman
27 August 2025

Why we should follow Canada and cut migration

An explosion in low-skilled migration to Australia has depressed wages, killed productivity, and cut rental vacancy rates to near decades-lows. It’s time both sides of politics addressed the issue.

James Gruber
27 August 2025

Are LICs licked?

LICs are continuing to struggle with large discounts and frustrated investors are wondering whether it’s worth holding onto them. This explains why the next 6-12 months will be make or break for many LICs.

James Gruber
10 September 2025

Australian house price speculators: What were you thinking?

Australian housing’s 50-year boom was driven by falling rates and rising borrowing power — not rent or yield. With those drivers exhausted, future returns must reconcile with economic fundamentals. Are we ready?

Larry Bricks*
27 August 2025

Retirement income expectations hit new highs

Younger Australians think they’ll need $100k a year in retirement - nearly double what current retirees spend. Expectations are rising fast, but are they realistic or just another case of lifestyle inflation?

Vanguard Investments Australia
24 September 2025

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 627 with weekend update

This week, I got the news that my mother has dementia. It came shortly after my father received the same diagnosis. This is a meditation on getting old and my regrets in not getting my parents’ affairs in order sooner.

4 September 2025

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