Something has been bothering me.
The recent budget has produced its usual flurry of commentary (and rightfully so). However, one thing that has stood out over the last month or so, is a pervasive sense of uncertainty. Perhaps not only a product of the measures themselves, but the contradictory explanations offered by those responsible for them.
June ...
To get its capital gains tax and negative gearing changes through the Parliament, the Government agreed to act on one of the Greens’ longstanding bugbears : SMSFs borrowing to buy residential property.
Obviously this is bad news for those about to embark on a borrowing – so what exactly is happening and how will it impact SMSFs?
What is changing?
In ...
The change came a long way back—but at first it didn’t show. The manner remains intact for some time after the morale cracks.- F Scott Fitzgerald
The 2023 Credit Suisse Global Investment Returns Yearbook puts the Australian share market at the top of the global leaderboard for returns since 1900. Australia has the highest returns over the 123 years of ...
In reference to the proposed new capital gains tax arrangements before parliament, Anthony Albanese told the House of Representatives post-budget that, “we’re moving towards the system that was in place before 1999 to tax real gains, not nominal gains.”
Except that that is not entirely true. Yes, indexing the capital cost base to inflation is being ...
Australian equities are navigating an increasingly complex macro backdrop. Inflation remains above the RBA’s target range, geopolitical tensions are disrupting supply chains and energy markets, and the path for interest rates is proving more uncertain than expected at the start of the year. While the domestic economy has held up relatively well, higher ...
Global economic growth is coming under pressure due to the Iran war, rising oil prices and ongoing trade disputes. But one powerful engine is more than making up for it: AI-related investment spending.
My colleague, economist Darrell Spence believes the artificial intelligence boom is so massive that even if activity in all other sectors contracted, ...
A retiree sits on a comfortable balance, takes only the minimum drawdown from an account-based pension, and frets about money anyway. Ask why they don't spend more and the answer comes back in the language of caution. What if I live longer than expected? What if the market turns? What if I need care? The fear is understandable. The odd thing is how ...
An email from a reader got me thinking about my investment philosophy.
“Often, financial authors, advisors, and experts refer to investment philosophy. What do they mean by this, and what are the principles of forming one?”
I responded, but it was such a good question—and frankly, such a thought-provoking exercise for me to articulate my own investment ...
I’m pleased to announce that Simonelle Mody will be taking over as the new Firstlinks’ editor.
Throughout the process of finding a new editor I’ve been thinking a lot about Graham and James. I wanted to find an editor who respected what they built and who was bold enough to ensure that Firstlinks continues to support the evolving needs of investors in ...
For decades, the investment community operated under a comfortable assumption. By blending a dominant share of growth assets with a fixed sleeve of government bonds, diversification was expected to automatically smooth out market turbulence. It was a beautifully simple framework, rooted in the predictable inverse relationship between corporate ...
If we stop the clock on 2026, the fixed income story of the year is undoubtedly higher yields. Government bond yields in Australia and around the world have been moving upwards in response to higher inflation, with the mid-east war and higher oil prices adding fresh momentum. In Australia, the 3-year government bond yield has pushed out ~30bps since ...
Australia not long ago was a world-beater on global stock markets. Now it’s lagging other nations, with even once steadfast names on the slide. Meanwhile, the US economy and markets look attractive and dynamic. Is it time to revisit your global equity allocation?
This is a question many investors have been asking as sentiment around the Australian ...
Something has been bothering me.
The recent budget has produced its usual flurry of commentary (and rightfully so). However, one thing that has stood out over the last month or so, is a pervasive sense of uncertainty. Perhaps not only a product of the measures themselves, but the contradictory explanations offered by those responsible for them.
June ...
To get its capital gains tax and negative gearing changes through the Parliament, the Government agreed to act on one of the Greens’ longstanding bugbears : SMSFs borrowing to buy residential property.
Obviously this is bad news for those about to embark on a borrowing – so what exactly is happening and how will it impact SMSFs?
What is changing?
In ...
The change came a long way back—but at first it didn’t show. The manner remains intact for some time after the morale cracks.- F Scott Fitzgerald
The 2023 Credit Suisse Global Investment Returns Yearbook puts the Australian share market at the top of the global leaderboard for returns since 1900. Australia has the highest returns over the 123 years of ...
In reference to the proposed new capital gains tax arrangements before parliament, Anthony Albanese told the House of Representatives post-budget that, “we’re moving towards the system that was in place before 1999 to tax real gains, not nominal gains.”
Except that that is not entirely true. Yes, indexing the capital cost base to inflation is being ...
Australian equities are navigating an increasingly complex macro backdrop. Inflation remains above the RBA’s target range, geopolitical tensions are disrupting supply chains and energy markets, and the path for interest rates is proving more uncertain than expected at the start of the year. While the domestic economy has held up relatively well, higher ...
Global economic growth is coming under pressure due to the Iran war, rising oil prices and ongoing trade disputes. But one powerful engine is more than making up for it: AI-related investment spending.
My colleague, economist Darrell Spence believes the artificial intelligence boom is so massive that even if activity in all other sectors contracted, ...
A retiree sits on a comfortable balance, takes only the minimum drawdown from an account-based pension, and frets about money anyway. Ask why they don't spend more and the answer comes back in the language of caution. What if I live longer than expected? What if the market turns? What if I need care? The fear is understandable. The odd thing is how ...
An email from a reader got me thinking about my investment philosophy.
“Often, financial authors, advisors, and experts refer to investment philosophy. What do they mean by this, and what are the principles of forming one?”
I responded, but it was such a good question—and frankly, such a thought-provoking exercise for me to articulate my own investment ...
I’m pleased to announce that Simonelle Mody will be taking over as the new Firstlinks’ editor.
Throughout the process of finding a new editor I’ve been thinking a lot about Graham and James. I wanted to find an editor who respected what they built and who was bold enough to ensure that Firstlinks continues to support the evolving needs of investors in ...
For decades, the investment community operated under a comfortable assumption. By blending a dominant share of growth assets with a fixed sleeve of government bonds, diversification was expected to automatically smooth out market turbulence. It was a beautifully simple framework, rooted in the predictable inverse relationship between corporate ...
If we stop the clock on 2026, the fixed income story of the year is undoubtedly higher yields. Government bond yields in Australia and around the world have been moving upwards in response to higher inflation, with the mid-east war and higher oil prices adding fresh momentum. In Australia, the 3-year government bond yield has pushed out ~30bps since ...
Australia not long ago was a world-beater on global stock markets. Now it’s lagging other nations, with even once steadfast names on the slide. Meanwhile, the US economy and markets look attractive and dynamic. Is it time to revisit your global equity allocation?
This is a question many investors have been asking as sentiment around the Australian ...
