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6 June 2026
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Electric vehicles have long been championed as the future of transportation. With production slowdowns, cautious consumers, and infrastructure challenges, EVs appear to be hitting a speed bump.
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.
As long as the banks have no desire to pay up for term deposit funding - which looks likely for a while yet - investors will continue to pay a premium for the higher yielding, but riskier hybrid instrument.
APRA's objections to hybrids are misplaced. If the regulator wants more safety in our banking system, it will come at the expense of effectiveness, and that's why wholesale changes to the hybrid market are unlikely.
Australian banks are the Pilbara of the global financial system, with irreplaceable assets that are among the world's best. Current bank hybrid prices offer favourable rewards with limited risk for investors.
Most asset classes haven't fully adjusted to the sharp interest rate rises. Prices of stocks, housing and commercial property need to fall for them to provide attractive yields compared with risk-free government bonds.
Australian investors are searching for investments that can benefit from evolving market conditions. With credit spreads at attractive levels, now might be the opportune time to have exposure to hybrids and credit.
Higher distribution levels and potential returns have caused many investors to turn to hybrids for the fixed income portion of their portfolio. Now may be a time to reassess the relative risk-reward balance of the instrument.
Major changes are underway in the methods used to distribute bank hybrids. Investor cannot rely on the previous ways of buying hybrids at IPO and now must be 'sophisticated', react quickly and know a broker.
During the GFC, bank hybrids fell heavily as bank equity sold off, but in the last dozen years, hybrids rules have changed and the market seems to accept hybrids are more resilient. What does the price data show?
Bank hybrids produced excellent returns in the last year and the biggest lesson from March 2020 is that many investors don’t understand the structures, and in a crisis, they panic first and think later.
The GFC provided asset managers with a source of behavioural data they could only dream of. However, no amount of modelling can capture the full panic that some investors experience.
Here is a checklist of 28 important issues you should address before June 30 to ensure your SMSF or other super fund is in order and that you are making the most of the strategies available.
Marketed as a fix for inequality and housing affordability, the latest budget instead delivers a tangle of tax changes that leave everyday Australians worse off.
Australia may not levy formal death duties, but a growing web of tax measures is quietly shaping what wealth passes between generations. Now, the 2026 budget adds another layer.
The lithium rally mirrors the early-2010s tech stock surge, with demand set to double by 2030. Supply has been slow to respond, creating a market deficit for future tech like humanoid robotics and solid-state batteries.
The debate over the budget is increasingly shaped by frustration and perceptions of unfairness, rather than clear-eyed assessment of policy outcomes.
A retirement researcher's take on retirement and her focus on each of her six resource buckets to stay engaged during the transition and beyond.