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18 May 2022
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Exchange Traded Funds have moved well beyond indexes to a range of sectors, themes, smart beta and active. They are attracting strong flows from both experienced investors and newcomers.
Our close links to China mean the impact of the virus could tip the local economy into recession and certain sectors such as resources, education and travel will be harder hit than others.
We tend to call any change a 'disruption', but the vast majority of so-called disruptive technologies are variations on a theme. Many innovations are really high-risk, low-probability investments.
ETFs are doing to funds management what Spotify did to music. All investors and product providers need to adapt. Active managers can no longer justify index hugging at active fees.
Up, down or sideways? From disruption to de-globalisation, these six key themes will determine the sectors and companies that will do well in portfolios in coming years.
All aspects of media and broadcasting are changing, and in television, there are so many new ways to reach viewers that traditional players may be in an unavoidable death spiral.
Fintechs want to inject themselves between banks and their customers in the most profitable areas. Most will fail but others will chip away and the banks must respond, while the regulators keep a close watch.
Investors in Tesla at current prices are not neglecting the obvious. Disruptors come at a high price because they do not carry the sunk costs of infrastructure and outdated distribution models.
Disruption investing is not the same as investing in technology. It's about knowing which companies are best placed to capitalise on the next big trends, and the winners are not always obvious.
Markets and assets look expensive, but technology at least offers high revenue growth and fast rates of adoption. However, much of that great promise may benefit consumers more than investors.
I like to learn from history, but also look into the future. The articles chosen provide some of the essentials of good investing, but they also peer over the horizon on what the future might bring.
The measurement and disclosure of human capital within a company will give investors greater confidence about future business prospects and better integrate strategic and human resource functions.
Every successful fund manager suffers periods of underperformance, and investors who jump from fund to fund chasing results are likely to do badly. Selecting a manager is a long-term decision but what else?
In almost 1,000 responses, our readers differ in voting intentions versus polling of the general population, but they have little doubt who will win and there is widespread disappointment with our politics.
Conservative investors who want the greater capital security of bonds can now lock in 5% but they should stay at the higher end of credit quality. Rises in rates and defaults mean it's not as easy as it looks.
In the last decade, ETFs have become a mainstay of many portfolios, with broad market access to most asset types, as well as a wide array of sectors and themes. Is there a favourite of a CEO who oversees 30 funds?
Increases in commodity prices have fuelled global inflation while benefiting commodities exporters like Australia. Oftentimes, booms lead to busts and investors need to get the timing right on pricing cycles to be successful.
Single-member SMSFs face challenges where the eventual beneficiaries (or support team in the event of incapacity) will be the member’s adult children. Even worse, what happens if one or more of the children live overseas?