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8 October 2026
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Changes to banking regulations have led to higher interest rates on bank loans for SMEs and personal loans, pushing borrowers towards the rapidly growing new segment of non-bank lending for faster and better service.
Hybrids are no more ridiculous than shares for retail investors, especially bank and insurance company issues. The increase in common equity in banks has improved the quality, but investors must be paid for the risk.
Investors received a wake-up call to the potential risks of hybrid and subordinated securities following the collapse of Banco Popular Espanol, and the price falls in Australian hybrids shows the market took notice.
A recent change to banking regulation has significant implications for term deposits. With 31+ day break or notice clauses becoming more common, a large difference in deposit rates is expected.
APRA's residential mortgage lending guidelines aim to reduce default rates, while making banks more secure and borrowers less stressed. Has APRA gone far enough and will banks risk losing business as a result?
Part 2 of the edited transcript from the Morningstar Investment Conference Q&A session with Ian Macfarlane. He shares his thoughts on emerging markets, Australia’s banking system and property prices.
Until recently, institutional investors did not buy many bank hybrids, leaving issue size and margins subject to retail demand. But retail investors, including SMSFs, no longer have the market to themselves.
In Cuffelinks on 2 April 2013, we posted an article on bank liquidity. Alun Stevens, Principal at Rice Warner Actuaries, took issue with some of the conclusions, and a lively debate followed. Warning: very long and technical.
Conventional wisdom encourages retirees to preserve superannuation. But if those likely to qualify for the Age Pension later in life spend a little more today, it may deliver higher lifetime income and a more stable retirement.
A high-profile dividend cut and a prominent fund manager’s apology have reignited a long-running debate. If investors can access similar exposures more cheaply and efficiently elsewhere, what exactly is keeping LICs alive?
For generations, Australian investors have backed banks, miners and dividends. But has that loyalty come at a cost? A look at the numbers raises an uncomfortable question about where future returns will come from.
The fight over testamentary trusts looked settled. Then the draft legislation arrived. Hidden in a technical detail is a question that could force many families to rethink wills they thought were already future-proof.
Investors have long accepted one portfolio rule without much question. A major tax shift could change that calculation entirely, forcing difficult trade-offs between risk, discipline and an overlooked cost lurking beneath.
What if investment success depends less on picking the right assets and more on understanding the decisions of other investors? A principle borrowed from game theory offers a different perspective on markets.