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18 September 2025
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The AI boom has sparked investor euphoria, but under the surface, US big tech is showing cracks - slowing growth, surging capex, and fading dominance signal it's time to question conventional tech optimism.
The AI investment trend looks set to continue for years but there is only room for a handful of long-term winners. Dr Kevin Hebner also warns regulators against strangling innovation in the sector before society reaps the benefits.
For those with the patience to own an investment as volatile as the AI sector, buying and holding a stock basket might make sense. However, based on internet stocks’ history, you need not rush to do so.
The 'Magnificent Seven' stocks in the US have had an incredible run and many investors are wondering how long it can last. While it may be tempting to take profits in these stocks, it could prove a costly error.
As investors, we all like to snap up a bargain but cheaply-priced stocks tend to provide short-term, temporary pleasures. Meanwhile, a quality gem is the gift that keeps on giving, even if the entry price seems expensive.
Microsoft's Bill Gates says AI innovations will come much faster than when he started in computing. For investors, the challenge is deciding at which point too much money has flowed into AI stocks.
Many investors have written off the tech sector after last year's bloodbath. But tech is entering a new phase of growth and dominance, fuelled by innovation and AI, and there are compelling ways to play this theme.
The market has erred by shunning growth companies indiscriminately. There are many growing businesses that enjoy strong free cash flow and robust balance sheets, including three US-listed large-cap companies outlined here.
The market’s myopia of 2022 has depressed valuation multiples on cyclically depressed earnings. The result is that many of the world’s most advantaged businesses can be acquired today at prices that are far below intrinsic value.
The software bubble appears to have popped but not everyone is convinced. There are many lessons from the US shale boom that are broadly applicable to the recent software boom, and it doesn't bode well for tech companies.
The leading global innovation companies such as Amazon, Google, Tencent and Alibaba, alongside tomorrow’s champions in Tesla, Afterpay and Xero, offer better prospects than traditional ‘old-world’ value investments.
Investors with heavy allocations to a broad US index should check how much is exposed to tech stocks, especially when valuations look a bit steep. It might be time to reallocate to other sectors or styles.
Australia could unlock smarter investment and greater equity by reforming housing tax concessions. Rethinking exemptions on the family home could benefit most Australians, especially renters and owners of modest homes.
The creator of the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals, Bill Bengen, has written a new book outlining fresh strategies to outlive your money, including holding fewer stocks in early retirement before increasing allocations.
This AI cycle feels less like a revolution and more like a rerun. Just like fibre in 2000, shale in 2014, and cannabis in 2019, the technology or product is real but the capital cycle will be brutal. Investors beware.
An explosion in low-skilled migration to Australia has depressed wages, killed productivity, and cut rental vacancy rates to near decades-lows. It’s time both sides of politics addressed the issue.
Are franking credits factored into share prices? The data suggests they're probably not, and there are certain types of stocks that offer higher franking credits as well as the prospect for higher returns.
LICs are continuing to struggle with large discounts and frustrated investors are wondering whether it’s worth holding onto them. This explains why the next 6-12 months will be make or break for many LICs.