3 local solutions to replace coal
As the world shifts to renewable energy, helping the communities that have depended on fossil fuels for jobs is becoming ever more pressing. The 2015 Paris Agreement notes the imperative of a “just transition” for affected workforces, with “the creation of decent work and quality jobs” to replace those lost. Trade unionists have been arguing…
How high can government debt-to-GDP ratios soar?
Somewhere a ceiling exists. Trouble is brewing, especially in the eurozone and emerging countries. The ‘IMF crisis’ is judged the worst event to have hit South Korea since the civil war of 1950-53. The rest of the world knows this financial upheaval as the ‘Asia crisis’ of 1997. The mismatch is because South Koreans, perhaps…
Shake it off: Recovery expected, but risks remain
Against a backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, tighter regulation in China, and the prospect of reduced policy support from global central banks, 2021 has not been without its risks. However, as we look to the new year, we see opportunities for careful, bottom-up stock pickers in a wide range of industries across Asia. Fidelity’s Matthew…
2021 IPO Winners and Losers
The search for rewarding things to do during COVID 19 lockdowns led a flood of newcomers to share market investing. Younger investors entering the world of stock trading was a trend already underway, but the pandemic fueled that trend. A 12 May article appearing in the US financial website CNBC reported that major US online…
Outlook 2022: Sustainable investment
ESG (environment, social governance) investing has entered the mainstream. According to analysis by Bloomberg, ESG assets soared to an unprecedented $37.8 trillion by the end of 2021 and are predicted to grow to $53 trillion by 2025, which would be a third of all global assets under management. This rise is mirrored by a growing…
Are NFTs an overblown speculative bubble?
Comedian Robin Williams once called cocaine “God’s way of telling you you are making too much money”. This role may now have been overtaken by non-fungible tokens, the blockchain-based means to claim unique ownership of easily copied digital assets. The latest NFT mania involves fantastic amounts of money being paid for “Bored Apes”, 10,000 avatars…
Worst Performers of 2021
For many of us around the world, the New Year is a time to reassess past endeavors and make plans for the future. Share market investors of all ages and in all places are no exception, as existing portfolio holdings are scrutinised and new holdings are considered. For investors, the New Year offers a unique…
Assets to consider trimming in the year ahead
While we have a positive outlook on 2022, investors may want to revisit exposure to these three areas. Markets in a minute Powell keeps his options open. This week, the Federal Reserve officially made its pivot from maximum support for the economy to increased flexibility to fight inflation. There are three takeaways that illustrate this…
Losers in the Latest S&P ASX 200 Index Rebalancing
Over 150 years ago the first regional stock market in Australia was formed in Melbourne. Additional regional exchanges soon followed in Sydney, Hobart, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. It took until 1979 for the first uniform market index to integrate the regional indices into a single index representing the entirety of the Australian stock market activity….
Recovery expected, but risks remain
Against a backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, tighter regulation in China, and the prospect of reduced policy support from global central banks, 2021 has not been without its risks. However, as we look to the new year, we see opportunities for careful, bottom-up stock pickers in a wide range of industries across Asia. Fidelity’s Matthew…
