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25 December 2025
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After the hyperbolic rise in CBA shares, super funds are floating the idea of carving out the weightings of ASX bank securities and indexing them within their portfolios. This looks at why that might be a big error.
In this interview, Schroders' Helen Mason discusses investing in corporate and financial credit securities, market impacts of tariffs, opportunities for cash investments, and views on tier two and hybrid bonds.
Artificial intelligence is taking the world by storm and the investment industry is still coming to terms with its immense capabilities. Here is how one fund manager is using AI to stay ahead of its competitors.
New data shows that despite talk about large super funds shifting from public to private assets, the change hasn't been dramatic. However, there are other things that may challenge the long-term performance of Big Super.
While most property segments had a tough 2023, retail was comparatively resilient. The prospects for large retail assets catering to the likes of furniture and appliance stores look especially attractive for this year.
Bonds have had a miserable time of it for the past three years. Yet with central banks almost done with interest rate hikes and inflation set to fall towards central bank targets, bonds look primed for a bounce back.
Magellan Financial Group has had a tough time of it, with its faltering funds management business getting all the attention. Less mentioned is the significant value in the company's other assets, such as Barrenjoey.
Like the proverbial middle child, global mid-caps tend to be overlooked and underappreciated. However, mid-caps offer potentially more growth than large caps and less risk and volatility than small and micro-caps.
Industrial property has been Australian real estate’s star performer for a decade, notching up an annualised 10-year return of 14.2%. The big question is whether this can continue, and here the pros and cons are weighed.
Traditionally, equity income funds buy high-dividend companies but earnings growth should be a key component of an investment strategy. Receiving income from selling call options compensates for the lower dividends.
Work-from-home and higher interest rates have whacked the office property sector, both here and abroad. Yet Australia is well-placed to adapt given its resilient demand drivers, quality of stock and sensible gearing levels.
It's important to demand the highest standards from firms that are entrusted with managing other people’s savings. Key attributes to look for are strong stewardship and the ability to deliver long-term returns.
Retirement isn’t a clean financial arc. Income shocks, health costs and family pressures hit at random, exposing the limits of age-based planning and the myth of a predictable “retirement journey".
The superannuation system has succeeded brilliantly at what it was designed to do: accumulate wealth during working lives. The next challenge is meeting members’ diverse needs in retirement.
Two years ago, I wrote an article suggesting that the odds favoured ASX shares easily outperforming residential property over the next decade. Here’s an update on where things stand today.
I am a professional real estate investor who hears a lot of opinions rather than facts from so-called experts on the topic of property. Here are the largest myths when it comes to Australia’s biggest asset class.
In an interview with Firstlinks, CEO Mark Freeman discusses how speculative ASX stocks have crushed blue chips this year, companies he likes now, and why he’s confident AFIC’s NTA discount will close.
It might not be quite an ‘everything bubble’ but there’s froth in many assets, not just US stocks, right now. It might be time to stress test your portfolio and consider assets that could offer you shelter if trouble is coming.