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1 March 2026
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Rebalacing can feel counterintuitive as you sell your winners and buy more losers. A reasonable compromise is to rebalance every 12 months, which might offer capital gains tax advantages.
Conventional wisdom was that acting in accordance with ethical principles involved a trade-off against portfolio returns. The evidence is that is not the case, and there are easy ways to support your principles.
The threat of Labor denying franking credit refunds led some investors to sell hybrids, widening their margins, which created investment opportunities for those willing to look past the immediate announcement.
Thematic trend investors relies more on recognising how the world is changing over the long term, and finding sectors that will benefit, rather than the more cyclical approach of picking short-term winners.
In the US, ETFs represent about 16% of the entire managed fund space, but in Australia, it is only 1.5%. With many strategies available including Active ETFs, the growth outlook is strong.
ETFs reached over $40 billion by the end of 2018, with international equities ranked first for net flows, and a rapid growth in fixed income products. Cap-weighted indexes dominated but smart beta is gaining ground.
Guest Editor, Alex Vynokur, has watched the active versus passive debate for many years, and although he runs an ETF business, he sees a role for both investment techniques in most portfolios.
Most portfolios will benefit from a mix of passive and active strategies, as there are market conditions where one might do better than the other. ETFs now cover a wide range of structures, not only indexing.
Devices connected to the internet, not just phones and laptops, are increasingly part of everyday life. Soon, it will be our lights and doorbells, and later, almost everything, with more risk of hacking.
Most S&P500 companies are doing well with recent reported earnings above expectations. In the tech sector, the Big Five (Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Alphabet) have also diversified their income sources.
The future of ETFs appears strong as the millennials increase their share of the investment pie, and the majority of financial advisers now comfortable with ETFs.
ETFs are seeing the growth in popularity in Australia that overseas markets have experienced for many years, and they could reach $50 billion by the end of 2018. What will drive it?
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 post-World War Two economic system is unravelling, leading to huge shifts in currency, bond and commodity markets, yet stocks seem oblivious to the chaos. This looks to history as a guide for what’s next.
Our cost-of-living pressures go beyond the RBA: surging house prices, excessive migration, and expanding government programs, including the NDIS, are fuelling inflation, demanding bold, structural solutions.
The capital gains tax discount is under review, but debate should go beyond its size. Its original purpose, design flaws and distortions suggest Australia could adopt a better, more targeted approach.
A more rational taxation system that supports home ownership but discourages asset speculation could provide greater financial support to first home buyers.
This is my last edition as Editor of Firstlinks. I’m moving onto a new role though the newsletter will remain in good hands until my permanent replacement is found.