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Sunday, 23 January 2022
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In the 11th year of a bull market, near the end of the cycle, some type of correction is likely. Underneath is solid, healthy and underpinned by strong earnings growth, but there's less room for mistakes.
Omicron and central bank policy changes have spoiled Christmas, especially for the value of businesses with the most profit growth far in the future. Has the pullback in parts of the global market been overdone?
The world is experiencing declining investment in fossil fuels with increased dependency on intermittent sources such as solar and wind. It creates investment opportunities for those who follow global megatrends.
Some high-quality companies have emerged even stronger since the onset of COVID and are well placed for outperformance. We call these the ‘COVID Opportunists’ as they are now dominating their specific sectors.
Global equities offer higher return opportunities, portfolio diversification and exposure to specific themes. A broad index is the primary building block but there are many ways to enhance global returns.
Known as Dr Copper for the uncanny way its price anticipates future economic activity, copper has hit all-time highs. What are the forces at play and strategies to benefit from the electric metal’s strength?
It's complicated. Rising bond yields reflect optimism about economic growth and improving business conditions. But as the recovery matures, increases in bond rates prove counter-productive, kerbing economic growth.
A structural theme that will drive future earnings growth is the ‘emerging consumer’. The rising wealth in emerging economies will drive sub-sectors such as luxury goods, cosmetics, travel, global brands and alcohol.
Rather than marking the end of a bull run for technology, the recent sell-off is just a healthy correction and offers a great buying opportunity into technology leaders that have strong long-term earnings growth.
It has been three decades, and Japanese equities are still not back up to all-time highs reached at the end of one of the greatest bull markets in global history in 1989. Can we have lost decades in Australia too?
We tend to think of the 'stockmarket' as one beast, but it pays to know the drivers of the different parts, especially global versus Australian stocks. The outlook favours global due to better sector exposure.
The pandemic created a tale of two halves as stimulus bolstered market sentiment in the second half of the year. Many companies benefited from a quickly-transformed world and investors were eager to jump aboard.
Most people entering retirement do not see a financial adviser, mainly due to cost. It's a major problem because there are small mistakes a retiree can make which are expensive and avoidable if a few tips were known.
Eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card has no asset test and a relatively high income test. It's worth checking eligibility and the benefits of qualifying to save on the cost of medications.
The focus is on Magellan for its investment performance and departure of the CEO, but Douglass says the pandemic, inflation, rising rates and Middle East tensions have not played out. Vindication is always long term.
This is our annual checklist of what retirees need to be aware of in 2022. It is a long list of 25 items and not everything will apply to your situation. Run your eye over the benefits and entitlements.
The Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger partnership is the stuff of legends, but even Charlie admits it is coming to an end ("I'm nearly dead"). He is one of the few people in investing prepared to say what he thinks.
Depending on personal circumstances, it may be time to rethink the bias to paying down housing debt over wealth accumulation in super. Do the sums and ask these four questions to plan for your future.