This week we visit a topic that has been all the rage in 2022. Inflation. A word we perhaps hadn’t heard of in a couple of decades but has saturated every headline this year. As we write the ASX has given back around 14% from its peak in 2021 and the ASX Small...
Market Insight
Global Debt: How will this affect the portfolio
With rates on the rise we turn to a pressing issue facing economies the world over; global debt. What will the implications be and is there a way to prepare for it? We begin this weeks article on global debt with a story. This is the story of Sri Lanka which has seen...
Election 2022: Much Ado About Nothing For The Investor?
This week we look at a new government in Canberra and what, if any, are the implications for markets? Before proceeding into what is intrinsically a divisive topic, we’ll start with the conclusion, the answer is the implications are negligible. Some context As market...
Investing in Uncertain Times: Keep It Simple
One of the greatest privileges of being in this business is the ability to talk to other investors on a daily basis and understand the pulse of the market. Right now the pulse seems to be confusion, not necessarily fear. Confusion breeds uncertainty which can paralyze...
Needs Not Wants?
Robert Swift takes some time to look at portfolio allocation in the context of the current global climate; now focussing on investing in the 'needs' and not 'wants'. Most risk assets have had a decent fall this year. Long overdue and somewhat predictable perhaps but,...
Commodities: An Abundance of Policy Missteps
This week we would like to look at the commodities market. This is a fascinating topic in a world coming out of a global pandemic, in the midst of a “Green Transition” and tackling exacerbated income inequalities. Toss into this mix the context of Russian sanctions....
Inflation: An Oily Issue
This week we continue with our examination of the news flow that has been rocking markets. We find it interesting that the headlines have inextricably linked the latest burst in inflation and energy prices squarely with the Russia-Ukraine escalation story. However,...
SWIFT Retribution: Russian Sanctions & What It Means
This week we revisit the topic of Russia and the escalation in sanctions by the West. In particular we want to talk about the oft heard about but little known SWIFT system through which some of these sanctions are being imposed, the implications for broader markets...
4 Investing Megathemes Worth Watching
This week we would like to offer our thoughts on certain megathemes that are impacting investment markets. Firstly, credit where it is due, this is a topic inspired by an oped in the AFR by James Thomson who summarises what he sees the recent bid by Cannon-Brookes for...
Ukraine: Oversimplifying a Complex Situation & What It Means For Markets
This week we again look to the headlines and look at an issue that has been front and centre for the markets, that of the Ukraine situation (perhaps a reprieve from the endless monetary policy commentary). Firstly, we begin with a rather macabre fact about the...
Politics, Trust and Investing: Our Greatest Risk?
Growing up it was ingrained that two topics are rather taboo to discuss at the dinner table; the first being politics and the second money. So, with the hope that you’re not having dinner as you read, this week we discuss the former while touching on the latter....
Innovation Solves Problems: Big Ideas for 2023
Innovation Solves Problems: Big Ideas for 2023 9/2/2023 Cathie Wood's ARK Investment Management is well known for betting big on disruptive technologies through its exchange-traded funds, headlined by the ARK Innovation ETF (NASDAQ: ARKK). Wood is one of the loudest...