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Wednesday, 5 August 2020
Recently trending A hard dose reality check on vaccinesAfter 30 years of investing, I prefer to skip this partyHow we have invested during COVID-19Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 367Is the '4% rule' for retirement broken?
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If ESG, ethical investing, philanthropy and CSR aren’t creating the magnitude of change needed, is there an alternative way of bridging the gap between profit growth and social benefit?
Businesses and directors must take steps to deal with new restrictions as a result of COVID-19. Here are six actions all companies should consider in these trying times.
Many of Australia's bank directors lack crucial skills in technology, operations and HR as part of a broader shortage of experience that is as important in dodging scandals as in business success.
Two of Australia's most experienced and successful chairs explain what makes a good board, what to watch for in bad ones, with advice for aspiring board members: understand first what motivates you.
There is no single and correct way for a company to adopt good ESG practices, but it's clear that major institutional investors are increasingly judging companies by ESG criteria.
What is the difference between ESG as measured by the Dow Jones Sustainability Australia Index, and taking an approach that includes ethical factors?
More investors than ever are expecting fund managers to allow for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, but what are the major factors for 2019?
The Commonwealth Bank's reputation has taken a battering at the Royal Commission, and a veteran of 13 years on the top table of the Bank's Executive Committee explains what went wrong and where we should head.
The Royal Commission focusses heavily on poor incentives amid a sea of damnation and exhaustively-documented case studies, but does not provide answers, especially on the vexed issue of best interests.
The SMSF of a person who has lost mental capacity faces multiple risks including the fund’s control falling into wrong hands. These risks can be guarded against with a proper strategy in advance.
A reader responded with detailed comments on the need for board members and the Chair to have relevant expertise in the company's industry. Please join the debate.
For many investors, allocations to emerging markets over the years have proved disappointing. An emphasis on corporate governance and social issues can help unlock some of the potential.
With 160 programmes underway and billions of dollars spent on COVID-19 vaccines, investors are drawn to optimistic news. However, the company that has developed most new vaccines has a sober view.
Eventually, prices become so extreme they bear no relationship to reality, and a bubble forms. I believe we are there today, not for all stocks but for many in the technology space.
With signs that the economic recession will not be as deep as first feared, many companies will emerge strongly with robust business models. Here are the sectors with the best opportunities.
There is a similarity between the current health crisis and economic crises of the past. For COVID-19, record amounts of biotech funding from government agencies and private companies are looking for a vaccine. Likewise, central banks once struggled treating recessions but the 'vaccine' now is record amounts of financial stimulus to ensure liquidity. While the world awaits a COVID treatment, markets are purring along, at least until side effects hit.
The traditional 4% rule was designed to ensure retirees do not run out of money, but low interest rates and expensive equity markets question the sustainability of the level. What are the alternatives?
It’s not only products and business models that create wealth. Management teams make decisions on how to deploy capital and such actions drive vastly different outcomes over time.