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8 July 2026
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There is more to equity trend following than index futures. Cross-sectional strategies, applied to sectors and equity styles, can offer more diversifying characteristics and serve as an effective complement to traditional trend following.
Asset-based finance has rapidly grown over the past decade. As it continues to grow, the asset class can play an important role in diversified income portfolios.
In the second half of 2026, as systematic investors, the team at Man Group will be closely watching the growing divide AI is creating across the technology sector.
New data suggest the Australian economy is losing momentum faster than expected, with unemployment rising and growth slowing ahead of recent shocks. With inflation pressures contained and policy tightening already biting, the case for an RBA pivot is strengthening.
An analysis of company dividends worldwide, focusing on fundamentals – where capital is being generated, how it’s being returned, the impact on long-term corporate strength and why it matters to investors.
The conditions which made the major banks the default trade for a generation of Australian investors have all reversed simultaneously. What replaces them is a market that rewards earnings durability over index weight, and pricing power over passive ownership.
An assessment of the impact of the 2026-27 Budget, and the risk that in the attempt to engender inter-generational fairness that we create new distortions that ultimately could lead to lower capital investment, lower economic growth.
Australia’s real asset markets are evolving amid elevated inflation, geopolitical uncertainty and a more volatile interest rate environment. These conditions have driven a widening divergence between listed and unlisted real assets over the quarter.
Total Q1 gold demand saw a modest 2% growth y/y. The growth in volumes combined with gold’s exceptional price rise, generated a 74% jump in the value of quarterly demand to a record US$193bn.
While the quality factor has delivered strong, defensive outcomes globally, its effectiveness in Australia is more nuanced due to its smaller size and concentration by stock and sector.
Markets experienced a sharp change in direction during the first quarter, but despite reasons for caution, we see paths to opportunity as well.
In 2023 the Government announced its intention to bring in a new tax targeting people who have more than $3m in super. In December 2025, draft legislation for a completely revised version of this tax was released. The new version is due to start from 1 July 2026.
Inheritance tax implications in Australia may surprise some, as poor estate planning without proper wills or trusts can lead to costly tax bills and delays for beneficiaries.
Proposed Budget changes to taxation are casting new uncertainty over testamentary trusts, prompting closer scrutiny of estate planning structures and the real implications of reforms still taking shape.
New CGT rules could tip the scales in the super vs non-super debate. For those facing the Division 296 tax, the case for withdrawing has gotten more complex. A "comparison rate" tool may help assess decisions.
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.
Retail investors face an increasingly complex product environment, but simplicity may be the most overlooked advantage in building a portfolio you can actually live with.
The 30% minimum tax on capital gains sits at the heart of the budget's proposed reforms. Yet the mechanics reveal anomalies that introduce unexpected distortions that raise questions about its design.